This invention relates in general to food products one of whose ingredients is edible sprouts, and more particularly to such food products which are prepared with methods to limit bacterial souring thus permitting these food products to be prepared at a temperature low enough to minimize damage to vital nutrients (especially enzymes) without the objectionable sour and bitter taste of background art products prepared without such methods. These methods do not involve either cooking or the use of chemical preservatives both of which are strongly objected to by those who have switched to an all-raw food diet.
This invention also relates to such food products which are prepared using low temperature water activity reduction methods to prevent souring and fungal growth. Being low temperature methods, heat damage to vital nutrients is minimized, and the shelf-stable food products thus produced are rich in health benefits. The methods and associated apparatus for producing these products are suitable for processing those sprouted seeds which require processing to modify their structure in order to make them suitable for human consumption. The types of structure modification contemplated herein include compression or flattening, weakening of the internal structure through prolonged soaking, and fracturing the internal structure through freezing.
Ever since the publication of Dr. Edward Howell""s book The Status of Food Enzymes in Digestion and Metabolism in 1946 (published by the National Enzyme Company, Forsyth, Mo. and republished by Omangod Press, Woodstock Valley, Conn. in 1980 under the title Food Enzymes for Health and Longevity), increasing numbers of health-conscious consumers in the organic foods movement have sought to follow an all raw food diet. In this book, Dr. Howell, through numerous references to research reports and studies conducted by himself and many others at hospitals, universities, and laboratories both here and abroad, attempts to prove the following points:
(1) Every living organism is born with a limited store of enzyme energy, and, as this store of enzyme energy is exhausted, various kinds of degenerative diseases begin to overwhelm the organism.
(2) Our digestive system was designed to utilize the enzymes present in raw food to begin the digestion of that food.
(3) When raw food is heated to a temperature in excess of 118xc2x0 F. (48xc2x0 C.), the enzymes present in that food begin to be destroyed. On page 72 of his book Enzyme Nutrition, The Food Enzyme Concept (Avery Publishing Group Inc., Wayne, N.J., 1985), Dr. Edward Howell writes of his work to determine the temperature at which enzymes are destroyed: xe2x80x9cWhen I was in active medical practice, I developed a special electrothermotherapy immersion apparatus to apply high temperature treatment to specific parts of the body to stimulate local enzyme activity. This activity increases two to three times for every 10xc2x0 F. increase in local temperature. I modified some of this apparatus to permit experiments to determine the thermal death point of protoplasm (living matter), and found that immersion in water at 118xc2x0 F. (48xc2x0 C.) destroyed enzymes in a half-hour. The temperature of 118xc2x0 F. (48xc2x0 C.) also blistered the skin, and prevented subsequent germination of seeds when they were immersed for a half-hour.xe2x80x9d Subsequent research has shown that the destruction of many enzymes begins at a temperature of about 118xc2x0 F. (48xc2x0 C.), albeit at a slow rate. This destruction proceeds at an increasingly rapid rate as the temperature climbs past 118xc2x0 F. (48xc2x0 C.). And the longer that the enzymes are exposed to such elevated temperatures, the higher is the percentage of them that are destroyed. For example, the following table shows the activity of crystalline soybean beta-amylase enzyme after holding in a pH 5.5 acetate buffer for 30 minutes at various temperatures, and is fairly typical of the effects of heat on the activity of the enzymes in food. (J. Fukumoto and Y. Tsujisaka, Kagaku to Kogyo (Osaka) 28, 282 (1954); 29, 124 (1955).)
(4) When we eat enzyme deficient food, our bodies are forced to draw upon their own limited store of enzyme energy to begin the digestion of this food thus depleting it and hastening the onset of degenerative diseases.
(5) Raw unsprouted grains, seeds, and nuts contain large amounts of enzyme inhibitors which also deplete the body""s limited store of enzyme energy when consumed.
(6) Therefore it is wise to consume as much of our food as possible in the raw form and to avoid consuming grains, seeds, and nuts (unless they have first been sprouted), in order to conserve and, to a small extent, replenish our store of enzyme energy thus postponing the onset of degenerative diseases. (It has been found, however, that the negative effect of the enzyme inhibitors in raw unsprouted seeds is more than overcome by the enzymes in an equal amount of raw sprouted seeds if they are consumed at the same time.)
Similar conclusions have been taught by such prominent health authors and researchers of the past and present as Dr. Max Bircher-Benner, Dr. Max Gerson, Dr. Kristine Nolfi, Dr. Norman W. Walker, Dr. Weston A. Price, Dr. Francis M. Pottenger, Professor Henning Karstrom, John H. Tobe, Linda Clark, Stephen Blauer, Paul and Patricia Bragg, Bob Johnson, T. C. Fry, Humbart Santillo, Viktoras Kulvinskas, Dr. Elton Baker, Leslie Kenton, Dr. Malcolm Carruthers, and Ann Wigmore. Whether or not the points which Dr. Howell seeks to prove are true, many health conscious consumers have been influenced by these teachings and have switched to an all raw or mostly all raw food diet.
Unfortunately, consumers who switch to a raw food diet have difficulty finding substitutes for cooked grain, nut, and seed-based products which are raw, rich in enzymes and vitamins, lacking in enzyme inhibitors, prepared without chemical preservatives, and yet have good taste and a long shelf life.
One of the important dietary staples in the diet of many health conscious consumers is bread and cracker-like products. Hitherto their choices in this category have been very limited:
(1) The commercial semi-raw sprouted grain breads. These breads are customarily prepared without preservatives at temperatures ranging from 130-180xc2x0 F. (54-82xc2x0 C.) and, if not frozen, have a shelf life of less than three weeks in the refrigerator. Unfortunately with such a high preparation temperature (necessary to inhibit the bacterial and fungal growths which would result in an unacceptable product), it is doubtful if more than a small fraction of the enzymes retain activity in the final product. As will be demonstrated, both DV, the Percentage Destruction of Viability Due to Heat, and DG, the Percentage Decrease in Growth Potential Due to Heat, of such products exceeds 95%.
xe2x80x83Further, since these breads must be kept frozen during and after interstate shipment, they no longer contain appreciable amounts of Vitamin E, this vitamin being largely destroyed at freezing temperature. (Good Health with Vitamins and Minerals, John Gallagher, Summit Books, New York, N.Y., 1990, p. 70.)
(2) Homemade raw sprouted grain bread. Many recipes are available to enable the health-conscious consumer to make these breads in his kitchen. The main disadvantages of such homemade raw breads is that they taste somewhat sour and bitter due to the hitherto excessive and unavoidable action of lactic acid bacteria during the preparation process. According to page 52 of the 4th edition of Food Microbiology (McGraw Hill Book Company, 1988) which is incorporated by reference, xe2x80x9cThe most important characteristic of the lactic acid bacteria is their ability to ferment sugars to lactic acid. This may be desirable in making products such as sauerkraut and cheese but undesirable in terms of spoilage of wines. Because they form acid rapidly and commonly in considerable amounts, they usually eliminate for the time being much of the competition from other microorganisms. The major genera include Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, and Pediococcus.xe2x80x9d In the discussion of these bacteria on pages 45-51 of Food Microbiology, the habitat of each of these genera is given:
xe2x80x83As sprouted grain is crushed, the lactic acid bacteria which were on the surface of the grain sprouts, are now in the ground sprout batter where they begin a fermenting action which will eventually convert large amounts of the sugars in the ground sprouts to lactic acid. Initially, the pH of these ground sprouts is about 6.0. Dehydration is then used to lower the water activity of the ground sprouts to a level where the resultant product will be shelf-stable. (The term xe2x80x9cwater activityxe2x80x9d (aw) is used herein in its usual context to mean the ratio of the fugacity of water in the system being studied (f) to the fugacity of pure water (fo) at the same temperature. Hence the water activity of pure water is 1.00. The water activity of the products and compositions herein can be measured using well-known physical chemical techniques and commercially available instruments.) But, before the dehydration process reduces the water activity of the ground sprouts to a level where such fermenting activity can no longer continue, a sufficient amount of sugar will have been converted to lactic acid to lower the pH of the drying batter to about 4.6, a drop in pH of 1.4. This pH drop of 1.4 is due solely to the formation of lactic acid in the batter as it dries, and this lactic acid imparts a very sour taste to the product. We expect sauerkraut and pickles to taste sour but even the most avid health enthusiasts find it difficult to enjoy sour tasting bread. (Please see xc2xa73.1 for the method by which the pH drop due to lactic acid formation in a product, xcex4pHLA, is to be determined. The LA in xcex4pHLA stands for Lactic Acid.)
One of the earliest references to raw sprouted bread is found in the third century manuscript The Essene Gospel of Peace which was translated into English in 1928 by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely (International Biogenic Society, B.C., Canada (1981)). The method for making raw sprouted bread taught by this manuscript (pages 40-41 of the English translation) is as follows:
(1) Sprout wheat for about 12 hours.
(2) Crush the sprouted wheat to paste consistency.
(3) Make thin wafers out of this sprout paste.
(4) Set these wafers in the sun to dry.
The great disadvantage of this method is that while these wafers are drying, the bacteria which were on the surface of the wheat sprouts are now in the raw sprout paste, fermenting it and imparting a sour taste to it. The pH drop due to lactic acid souring, xcex4pHLA, for crackers made from this sprout paste, determined as outlined in xc2xa73.1, is about 1.4. This 1.4 pH drop is due to lactic acid formation in the sprout paste as it dried. Furthermore, due to the thinness of the batter, large drying surfaces are required to produce an appreciable amount of these sprout wafers. (Due to its high gluten content, the resultant crackers are very hard and tend to cut up the inside of one""s mouth as they are chewed due to their sharp, hard edges. If, on the other hand, the drying is stopped before the water activity of the crackers drops below 0.60 in order to yield softer crackers, they have a tendency to mold, and their shelf life is only about a week in the refrigerator.)
In 1932, realizing the great value of a raw form of high grade protein and fat, Dr. Edward Howell, as recorded on page 123 of his recent book Enzyme Nutrition, The Food Enzyme Concept (Avery Publishing Group Inc., Wayne, N.J. 1985) sought to develop germinated cereal grains and nuts in raw, palatable form. At that time he thought it might take several years to develop such products but, after years of work on this problem, he admitted that none of the products produced were very palatable, and as his book went to press, he still had not succeeded. In a 1980 interview (found on page xv of his 1980 edition of Food Enzymes for Health and Longevity), Dr. Howell stated that xe2x80x9cthere is a billion dollars waiting for the man who will go through the prolonged, tedious research to accomplish this, and I will be his first customer.xe2x80x9d
A recipe for raw sprouted bread is given on page 14 of The Book of Living Foods by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely (International Biogenic Society (1977)) but since it is essentially the same as that found in The Essene Gospel of Peace, it will not be discussed further here.
Starting on page 106 of The UNcook Book by Elizabeth and Dr. Elton Baker (Communication Creativity, Saguache, Colo. (1980)), methods are taught for making raw breads, crackers, and pastry. None of the breads are dehydrated, and, therefore, have a high moisture content. Except for the Rye Bread which can be kept for up to ten days in the refrigerator, these breads will keep for only about three days in the refrigerator. After about the third day, these breads will tend to mold. Presumably these breads are not very tasty inasmuch as the statement is made on page 107 that xe2x80x9cbecause the fermenting action in these breads is still present, they should be refrigerated and eaten within three days.xe2x80x9d The recipes for Raisin Carrot Bread (page 108), Sweet Rice Wafers (page 112), and Carrot Cake (page 116) all teach that honey should be added after the sprouts are ground. (Honey is the preferred water activity depressant in Applicant""s invention.) Since the methods to limit souring of this application are not used, excessive fermentation will occur resulting in products which taste sour. Such products typically experience a drop in pH value from 6.0 to about 4.6 during the preparation process. (xcex4pHLA, the pH drop due to lactic acid formation during the production of the product can be determined as described in xc2xa73.1.) The crackers on pages 111 to 113, however, are dehydrated, but since the methods of this invention are not used, they will have a very sour taste after being dehydrated. Such crackers, typically have a xcex4pHLA of about 1.4.
Of the remaining methods in this section which utilize sprouted seeds, only the xe2x80x9cFritoxe2x80x9d Corn Curls; the Pastry for Pies, Tarts, and Pizzas; and the Pizza Crust are dehydrated. Again, since the methods to limit souring of this application are not used, excessive fermentation will occur resulting in products which taste sour. These products, as well, typically experience a drop in pH value from 6.0 to about 4.6 during the preparation process. On page 177, a method is taught for making granola breakfast cereal in which honey is one of the ingredients. Since, in this method the moist sprouted grains are ground and then dehydrated without utilizing the methods to limit souring of this application, again excessive bacterial souring will occur resulting in an unmarketable product. The remaining recipes in this section do not have honey as one of the ingredients and will not be discussed here, the methods thereof being essentially similar to the method for making raw sprout bread taught by The Essene Gospel of Peace. 
Products containing both sprouted seeds and sesame seeds are disclosed on pages 115, 125, 154, and 167 of The UNcook Book by Elizabeth and Dr. Elton Baker (Communication Creativity, Saguache, Colo. (1980)). Of these, only the xe2x80x9cSesame-Raisin Circlesxe2x80x9d on page 167 have whole sesame seeds. Following is the method for making Sesame-Raisin Circles:
As can be observed from this method, after the balls or circles of ground raisins, sesame seed meal, and ground sprouts have been formed, these balls or circles are rolled in whole sesame seeds, and are not dehydrated. The whole sesame seeds are not inside these balls or circles but only coat the outside of these balls or circles. Since the methods for limiting souring of this application are not used, and the balls or circles are not further dehydrated, they must be consumed within a day or so. After a day, this product will develop an unacceptable sour taste due to the unchecked action of lactic acid bacteria. After another day, this product may develop mold or fungal growths due to its high water activity. (Ground sprouts typically have a water activity in excess of 0.95.)
A product containing sprouted millet and whole poppy seeds is disclosed on page 113 of The UNcook Book. The method for making Millet Crackers follows:
As can be observed from this method, after the millet and flaxseed have been ground, salt and poppy seed are added. Regrettably, no instructions are given as to what to do after adding the salt and poppy seeds. I presume that they should be thoroughly mixed with the ground sprouts. (Ground flaxseed acts as an agglutinant to hold these crackers together.) Then the resultant batter is dehydrated. As will be shown shortly, the whole poppy seeds are not in a sufficient amount with respect to the water in the batter to significantly affect xcex4pHLA. Here the poppy seeds only serve as a spice to impart flavor. (As will be shown below, practicing the above method yields 6.92 ounces of millet crackers, of which less than 0.175 ounces or 2.5% by weight are poppy seeds. In Applicant""s modified version of the above method, he used 4 teaspoons of poppy seed instead of 2 teaspoons which is 5% by weight of the resultant crackers.)
To determine the properties of these millet crackers, Applicant slightly modified the above method to specify more precisely the amount of each ingredient used and the conditions of temperature and relative humidity maintained in order that this method can be repeated by researchers who wish to check Applicant""s results:
1. Soak xc2xe cup (=4.9 ounces) of millet seed for 8 hours in distilled water.
2. Sprout millet for 48 hours.
3. Sprout (soak) xc2xc cup (=1.6 ounces) flaxseed in xc2xe cup (=6 ounces) lukewarm distilled water for 12 hours. Do not drain. Store in refrigerator until the millet has sprouted.
4. Grind together the sprouted millet seed and the soaked flax seed, adding only enough water to blend well. (The ground flaxseed acts as an agglutinant to hold these crackers together.) Add xc2xd teaspoon of salt (=0.07 ounces), and stir into the batter.
5. Remove 2 ounces of batter. Determine the pH value, pHo, of a 2:1 slurry of this batter by the method given in xc2xa73.1. Measure the water activity of this batter.
6. Add 4 teaspoons (=0.35 ounces) of poppy seeds, and mix well with the ground sprouts. (Please note that Baker""s method only called for 2 teaspoons of poppy seeds.)
7. In a room with room temperature of 80xc2x0 F. and 50% relative humidity, pour out the batter in a thin layer on an oiled or flour dusted cookie pan and dehydrate.
8. Mark the batter into triangles when half dry.
9. After the batter has been dehydrated to a water activity of 0.45, break the batter into triangles, and measure the pH of a 2:1 slurry prepared from the batter by the method given in xc2xa73.1. This pH value is called pHf. Then xcex4pHLA=pHoxe2x88x92pHf.
Applicant followed this 9 step method (except that the batter was poured onto a dehydrator sheet rather than onto a cookie pan, and neither oil nor flour was applied to the dehydrator sheet). After the 4.9 ounces of millet was sprouted for 48 hours, the result was 9.675 ounces of millet sprouts. These millet sprouts can be considered as consisting of approximately 4.9 ounces of millet sprout solids and 4.775 ounces water. At step 3, when the soaked flaxseed was removed from the refrigerator, its pH value was measured and found to be 5.2. Apparently the flaxseed soured due to being soaked in water for 56 hours. At step 4, no additional water needed to be added to facilitate the grinding of the mixture of millet sprouts and soaked flax seeds. At step 5, the result was 17.345 ounces of batter. The pH value of a 2:1 slurry of this batter was determined as follows: The 17.345 ounces of batter consists of 4.9 ounces of millet sprout solids, 1.6 ounces of flaxseed solids, 0.07 ounces of salt, 4.775 ounces of water associated with the millet sprouts, and 6 ounces of water associated with the flaxseed. Or, in other words, 6.57 ounces of solids and 10.775 ounces water. Therefore, 2 ounces of this batter consists of 0.75 ounces of solids and 1.25 ounces of water. 0.25 ounces of neutral pH water (water with a pH of 7) was added to the 2 ounces of batter. Its composition, was now 1.5 ounces water and 0.75 ounces of solids (i.e., a 2:1 slurry). The pH of this 2:1 slurry was measured and found to be 5.22 (most likely due to the aforementioned souring of the flaxseed as it soaked in the refrigerator). This measured pH of the 2:1 slurry was called pHo. The aw of the batter at this point was measured and found to be 0.94. At step 10, pHf was found to be 4.79. Therefore xcex4pHLA=pHoxe2x88x92pHf=5.22xe2x88x924.79=0.43. But, of course, the situation here is much worse than indicated by this calculation inasmuch as soaking the flaxseed in the refrigerator for 56 hours allowed its pH to drop from about 6.5 to 5.2, introducing such a degree of souring in the product as to render it unmarketable. The true xcex4pHLA, therefore, of this product is more like 6.5xe2x88x924.79=1.71.
After dehydration, the resultant product weighed 4.92 ounces. (It would have weighed 6.92 ounces if 2 ounces of batter had not been removed for the pH measurement at step 5.) Please note that the amount of poppy seeds stirred into the batter at step 6 was double that specified by Baker""s Method or 5% by weight of a final product of 6.92 ounces.
In conclusion, since the methods for limiting souring of this application were not used, the resultant Millet Crackers developed an unacceptable sour taste due to the unchecked action of lactic acid bacteria.
There is a short section on breads and wafers starting at page of the book Raw Energy by Leslie and Susannah Kenton (Warner Books, New York, N.Y. 1984). The only raw sprout bread recipe that mentions honey, teaches that the honey should be blended with the already ground up sprouts, but then suggests that this is really not necessary because the xe2x80x9cwheat sprouts have quite a sweet taste of their ownxe2x80x9d which, of course, is true before the ground up sprouts are dried. After drying, however, they will have the sour taste common to all raw sprouted breads prepared without the methods to limit bacterial souring of this application.
A fully detailed method for making raw sprout bread is taught by steps One through Three on pages 8 through 12 and by the second paragraph on page 14 of Sprout Bread by Steve Meyerowitz (The Sprout House, Great Barrington, Mass. (1989)). This method being essentially similar to the method for raw sprout bread taught by The Essene Gospel of Peace and having all the disadvantages thereof, it will not be further discussed here. Page 25 of the same book teaches a method for making sprout nuts, sprout flour, and sprout pie crust. The method for making sprout pie crust which appears as steps 1-5 in the following seven-step recipe bears a superficial resemblance to one of Applicant""s preferred methods for making raw sprout crackers:
(1) Sprout soft wheat berries for 3 or 4 days.
(2) Dry the sprouts in a dehydrator at 125-145xc2x0 F. (52-63xc2x0 C.)
(3) Grind up the dried sprouts in a blender or small seed mill to obtain sprout flour.
(4) Blend 3 tablespoons of lecithin with xc2xc cup apple juice.
(5) Stir 1 cup of sprout flour into the mixture of apple juice and lecithin until a thick paste is formed.
(6) Pat this thick paste down on a pie pan.
(7) Using the recipe on page 26 of Sprout Bread make Phil""s Raw Banana Filbert Pie and put it into the pie crust and smooth it off. Cooking is not required.
To determine the properties of this pie crust, Applicant slightly modified the above method to specify more precisely the amount of each ingredient used and the conditions of temperature and relative humidity maintained in order that this method can be repeated by researchers who wish to check Applicant""s results:
(1) Sprout soft wheat berries for 3 days.
(2) Dry the sprouts in a dehydrator at 125xc2x0 F. (52xc2x0 C.)
(3) Reduce the relative humidity of the atmosphere in the Preparation Room (the closed room or area in which product preparation activities take place) to less than 50%.
(4) Mill 1 cup of dried wheat sprouts (=5.0 ounces) to flour.
(5) Blend 3 tablespoons (=0.6 ounces) of lecithin into xc2xc cup (=2 ounces) of apple juice, thus obtaining a mixture of lecithin and apple juice.
(6) Thoroughly stir the milled wheat sprouts into the mixture of step 5. Continue to stir until a thick paste is formed.
(7) Measure the water activity of this thick paste.
Applicant then attempted to follow this modified seven-step method, but ran into difficulty at step 6. It would take considerably more of the apple juice and lecithin mixture than that produced by this method to wet the five ounces of sprout flour. The sprout flour was only partially wet with the apple juice and lecithin mixture even after vigorous stirring. The resultant product did not hold together and was unsuitable for either a pie crust or a snack food. Through trial and error, however, Applicant determined that the 0.6 ounces of lecithin would have to be blended with at least 3.5 ounces of apple juice to obtain enough mixture to wet the 5 ounces of milled wheat sprouts sufficiently to form a thick paste therefrom. Although the resultant product could possibly be used for a pie-crust, it would be considered too damp to satisfy any but the most ardent health enthusiast. At any rate when the above seven-step method (slightly modified as indicated) was followed, the water activity of the xe2x80x9cpie-crustxe2x80x9d obtained was 0.91. The water activity of the pie-crust obtained after the just mentioned trial and error modifications were made was 0.945. Both of these water activity levels will not only support significant lactic acid bacterial activity, but also yeast and mold growth as well.
Since the methods to limit souring of this application are not used in the preceding method, the pie crust must be consumed immediately as any delay will allow bacteria to begin a souring, fermenting action in the pie crust. Also since the pie crust is not further dried in a dehydrator, it is soft and can not be used as a snack food. A pie crust should be crisp and dry. The pie crust made by the method given in Meyerowitz""s Sprout Bread booklet is damp and does not hold together. Even after the above mentioned trial and error modifications, although the resultant pie crust held together, it was damp and gooey, and still would not appeal to many people. By the time either pie crust were shipped to market, they would be sour, bitter and possibly harmful to one""s health. (Harmful microorganisms will make their appearance if water activity has not been reduced below 0.60 by about the 48th hour of drying.) Finally since the sprouts at step 2 above were dried at a temperature of 125xc2x0 F. (52xc2x0 C.), it is doubtful if more than a small fraction of the original enzymes are retained in the final product. As will be demonstrated, both DV, the Percentage Destruction of Viability Due to Heat, and DG, the Percentage Decrease in Growth Potential Due to Heat, of this product exceed 95%.
It is interesting to note in this connection, that on his Sprout Bread cassette tape, Steve Meyerowitz makes the following comments about raw sprout bread:
If you make Essene raw bread (instead of baked bread) you are sacrificing a lot of good taste. The Essene bread or the bread which has been dehydrated at 125xc2x0 F. has a very raw taste and it is not very appealing. It is just not a wonderful tasting food. You may love it because you love the concept of having a raw food but most people won""t and you couldn""t pawn it off on your grandparents when they came over for dinner telling them this is a wonderful food. They would probably just say xe2x80x98Yukkxe2x80x99 and spit it out. But if you gave them baked sprout bread, they would probably love it because most people just love baked sprout bread. It is chewy, nourishing, fulfilling . . .
Thus Steve Meyerowitz teaches away from raw sprout bread, discouraging further research therein, and advocates baked sprout bread as a far superior product. (As founder and CEO of The Sprout House, Steve Meyerowitz is widely known as xe2x80x9cSproutmanxe2x80x9d and is considered to be an expert in the field of sprouting. He is the author of several books, and his writings have appeared in many magazines including Prevention Magazine and Vegetarian Times.)
On the last page of the November 1989 issue of The Sprout House Newsletter (edited by Steve Meyerowitz), Mr. Meyerowitz makes the following comment about raw sprout bread: xe2x80x9c . . . as a raw sprout, it should only be consumed in modest amounts because, again, it is only partially predigested . . . . It can take up to 24 hours to dry this xe2x80x98breadxe2x80x99 and in that time, a slight souring may occur, giving it a sour-dough taste. The xe2x80x98modernxe2x80x99 day sprout bread that we make . . . involves higher temperatures and an actual baking process takes place. This bread can be consumed in larger, dinner-size portions since the grain is cooked and digestion is easier.xe2x80x9d
Another of the important dietary staples in the diet of many health conscious consumers is breakfast cereals. And one of the important and popular categories of breakfast cereals is shelf-stable ready-to-eat sprouted grain breakfast cereals.
These cereals must be shelf stable (i.e. must have long shelf life due to not readily supporting enzymatic and microbial activity), and they must not taste sourxe2x80x94it is expected that breakfast cereals taste sweet or at least have a neutral taste (i.e. neither sour nor sweet).
There are two basic categories of shelf-stable ready-to-eat sprouted grain breakfast cereals: pasteurized and nonpasteurized. But the methods used during product preparation to prevent the bacterial souring and fungal growths which would otherwise ruin their taste (and appearance) and negatively impact their shelf-life differ greatly. In the first or pasteurized category, bacterial souring and fungal growths are prevented by using a sufficiently high temperature for a sufficiently long duration of time to destroy bacteria and fungi. In the second or nonpasteurized category, bacterial souring and fungal growths are prevented by reducing the water activity of the sprouts below the point at which any bacterial or fungal activity can occur.
Examples of breakfast cereals in the pasteurized category are Health Valley Foods"" Sprouts7 and Fiber7 Breakfast Cereals and Nature""s Paths Foods"" Manna Flakes. The background art does not show any breakfast cereals in the second or nonpasteurized category. The closest background art to this category is the breakfast cereal made by the method found on page 25 of Steve Meyerowitz""s book xe2x80x9cSprout Breadxe2x80x94A Complete Guide to Making Bread With Sproutsxe2x80x9d (The Sprout House, Great Barrington, Mass., 1984).
Breakfast cereals in the first or pasteurized category are made by sprouting the grain, feeding the sprouted grain along with any other desired ingredients into a cooker extruder which mixes the ingredients into a uniform dough and subjects the mix to temperatures which increase from the input end of the extruder barrel, commencing at about 130xc2x0 F. (54xc2x0 C.) adjacent the input and increasing to about 300xc2x0 F. (149xc2x0 C.) at the output end of the barrel, where the resultant product is extruded and sliced into pellets. The pellets in turn are passed between flaking rollers which flake these pellets, thus producing breakfast flakes.
A big deficiency of these breakfast flakes is that they no longer contain an appreciable amount of enzymes due to the fact that they were heated to a temperature well above the temperature at which enzymes can survive for a sufficiently long duration of time to destroy the enzymes and damage or destroy other nutrients as well.
A second disadvantage of these breakfast flakes is that during the dough forming process in the cooker extruder, the entire inner portion of the sprouted grain is exposed to the air causing the loss of some of their vital nutrients due to oxidation.
The method taught on page 25 of Steve Meyerowitz""s booklet xe2x80x9cSprout Breadxe2x80x94A Complete Guide to Making Bread With Sproutsxe2x80x9d, produces the closest background art breakfast cereal to a second (nonpasteurized) category breakfast cereal. If a temperature of less than 118xc2x0 F. (48xc2x0 C.) had been specified, the breakfast cereal made by this method would have belonged to the second (nonpasteurized) category. But as it is taught, the method for making this cereal places it in the first (pasteurized) category of breakfast cereals given above. The method for making this breakfast cereal is as follows:
1. Sprout soft wheat grain for 3 or 4 days.
2. Dry the sprouts in a dehydrator at 125-145xc2x0 F. (52-63xc2x0 C.).
3. Using a small seed mill, grind the dried sprouts coarse, like grits.
The disadvantages of this breakfast cereal are as follows:
1. Using a temperature of 125xc2x0 F. (52xc2x0 C.) to dehydrate the sprouts for the 8-10 hours required to dry them will destroy most of their enzymes.
2. Grinding the dried sprouts even coarsely as taught above exposes most of the inner portion of the grain to the air causing the loss of some of the vital nutrients therein to oxidation.
3. There is a considerable buildup of heat as the dry sprouts are being ground, and, unless means are used to control this heat buildup, additional nutrients will be destroyed.
4. It is difficult to control the coarseness of the grind with a seed mill, and unless the sprouts are ground finely, there is the possibility that someone might chip a tooth on a hard dried sprout fragment.
5. Coarsely ground sprouts do not have the organoleptic properties of crispness and crunchiness that one usually associates with a cold breakfast cereal. People tend to prefer breakfast cereals that are crisp and crunchy.
Another dietary staple in the diet of many health conscious consumers is granola bars, a snack food with a cereal grain base. These dietary staples are popular because unlike the breakfast cereals, they can be carried on one""s person and consumed anywhere. Hitherto, most such granola bars have been made from cereal grains which have been cooked, thus destroying many vital nutrients. Occasionally a granola bar can be found containing raw seeds, but the detrimental enzyme inhibitors in raw seeds are inactivated only by cooking or sprouting. Therefore it is not wise to consume any quantity of such granola bars. (It has been found, however, that the negative effect of the enzyme inhibitors in raw unsprouted seeds is more than overcome by the enzymes in an equal amount of raw sprouted seeds if they are consumed at the same time.)
U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,034 to Delhaye et al. (1977), shows wort suitable for making beer made by sprouting barley, rolling the sprouted barley, dehydrating the rolled sprouted barley, grinding the rolled and dehydrated sprouted barley, and extracting the malt. Since the sprouted barley only has xe2x80x9cpart of its husksxe2x80x9d removed before being sproutedxe2x80x94if all of the husk were removed the barley would no longer sproutxe2x80x94and is only compressed to the degree required to xe2x80x9calter its shape slightlyxe2x80x9d, not only would it be too thick to be used as a breakfast cereal, barley being a tough and very fibrous grain, but also the presence of the remaining portions of the husks would render it inedible by humans. If, however, the sprouted barley is dehydrated before being rolled, there will be significant fracturing of the dehydrated sprouts when they are rolled with the formation of such an amount of sprout flour which, with the unremoved portions of the husks, would further contribute to its unattractiveness as a food for humans. At any rate, the end product of the Delhaye patent is malt, not a breakfast cereal.
All the products made by the above methods share the following disadvantages:
(1) With the exception of the commercial sprout breads and sprouted grain breakfast cereals which have been cooked to prevent souring, they have a sour taste and are somewhat unpalatable. xcex4pHLA, the drop in the pH value of these products due to the formation of lactic acid in them during the preparation process is typically about 1.4.
(2) Because of their extremely short shelf life, their commercial potential is limited.
(3) The commercial products mentioned above are probably lacking significant enzyme activity due to the high processing temperature used and are deficient in vitamin E because they must be kept frozen. As will be demonstrated, both DV, the Percentage Destruction of Viability Due to Heat, and DG, the Percentage Decrease in Growth Potential Due to Heat, of such products are in excess of 95%.
(4) Unless proper precautions are taken, pathogenic microbes may appear in these products. (The proper precautions to take are as follows:
(a) Preventing the relative humidity of the atmosphere about the drying product from rising above 60%.
(b) Maintaining a good circulation of drying air around the product as it dries.
(c) Reducing the water activity of the product below 0.60 before about the 48th hour of drying has elapsed.)
(5) Only modest amounts of truly raw sprouted seed products can be made due to the large drying surfaces required to make the wafer-thin crackers. If one tried to make inch thick crackers using only the methods of the background art, it would take over a week for the cracker batter to dry, and the batter would be quite moldy long before then. Hitherto, there has been no way to avoid this.
All the products made by the above methods except the sprout nuts which were used to make the sprout pie crust have the following further disadvantage: Once the sprouts have grown to full size they should immediately be ground up and made into bread; if they are refrigerated, they will develop a stale taste in a few days which will result in products of inferior quality.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,486 to Douglass (1989) teaches a method for preparing an uncooked sunflower seed foodstuff from sprouted sunflower seeds. Bacterial souring is limited to a small extent by utilizing a dehydration temperature of 110xc2x0 F. (43xc2x0 C.) to dehydrate the still moist sunflower seed sprouts after they were ground and formed into a very thin dough. Due to the thinness of the batter (which limits souring to some extent), large drying surfaces are required, and only small amounts can be made. (The larger the drying surfaces required, the more work it is to form the wafers, and place them on the drying surfaces, and the more work it is to keep the drying surfaces clean.) The average thickness of the final product is about xe2x85x9 inch.
Applicant purchased xe2x80x9cSweetsxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cProtein Gemsxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cTangy Life""s Breadxe2x80x9d, the commercially available raw sprouted sunflower seed products made by the methods of the Douglass Patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,486). Inasmuch as these products all contain raisins, Applicant also purchased organic raisins, in order to measure their pH value and to determine to what degree raisins affect the pH of these products. Following the method taught in this patent, Applicant prepared a batter from ground sunflower seed sprouts and water such as is used to prepare the products of this patent. The pH value of this batter was measured and found to be 6.45. Two ounces of each of the purchased products were milled and mixed with 4 ounces of neutral pH water. The pH values of these mixtures were measured. The results are as follows:
Although it is not known what percentage of each product is raisins, we can surmise, at least for Protein Gems (with few raisins) and Tangy Life""s Bread (with hardly any raisins), that the drop in pH value due to lactic acid formation in these products during preparation is at least 1.3. In Applicant""s search of the background art, he did not find any patent or published work which discloses methods for limiting bacterial souring during the preparation of uncooked sprout based products.
xcex4pHLA, the pH drop in any product due to lactic acid bacteria converting the sugars of the product to lactic acid during the preparation process can be determined as follows:
1. Cracker batter can be considered as consisting of a certain percentage by weight water and 100 minus that percentage by weight, solids. Based upon the percentages of the various ingredients used, the amount of water which each ingredient contains, and the amount of any additional water added to the batter, calculate the weight percentage of the batter that is water and the weight percentage that is solids. Applicant has determined the weight percentage of water in the following ingredients:
Thus, for example, with respect to the 18 hour sprouted wheat, one ounce of wheat sprouts can be considered as consisting of 0.47 ounces of water and 0.53 ounces of wheat sprout solids.
Now I list the syrups that I have analyzed for water content. Water content was determined by dehydrating 2 ounces of the syrup to a water activity of 0.40 and then reweighing the syrup. I call the loss of water from the syrup due to dehydration, Lossaw=0.40. A given amount of syrup therefore will contribute a syrup portion and a water portion:
Please note that if carbonated distilled water is used in preparing the batter (as is the case in the methods for preparing three varieties of Applicant""s NP CLASS Crackers), it is to first be diluted with distilled water until its pH value is 4.0. (I use the term xe2x80x9ccarbonated distilled waterxe2x80x9d to refer to distilled water which has been subjected to carbonation.)
2. Using the above percentages, take 1 ounce of the batter from which the product is to be made, and add sufficient distilled water to make a slurry which is one part solids and two parts water. For example, if it is determined that the one ounce of batter is xe2x80x9cwxe2x80x9d percent water, and therefore xe2x80x9c100xe2x88x92wxe2x80x9d percent solids, it is necessary to add [2(100xe2x88x92w)xe2x88x92w]/100=(2-0.03 w) ounces of distilled water to the one ounce of batter to form a 2:1 slurry.
3. Measure the pH of this slurry. Call it pHo.
4. Dehydrate the batter to a water activity of 0.45.
5. Take one ounce of the final product, mill it to flour, and stir it into 2 ounces of distilled water to form a 2:1 slurry.* (Please note that if carbonated distilled water was used to make the batter from which the product is to be made, then a certain portion of the xe2x80x9cwxe2x80x9d percent water is carbonated distilled water which has a pH value of 4.0. If xe2x80x9ccxe2x80x9d percent of the distilled water of the batter is carbonated distilled water, then the two ounces of water to be used in this step to make the 2:1 slurry must have the following composition:             carbonated      ⁢              xe2x80x83            ⁢      water      ⁢              :            ⁢              xe2x80x83            ⁢      C        =                                        (                          c              /              100                        )                    *                      (                          w              /              100                        )                                    1          -                      (                          w              /              100                        )                              ⁢              xe2x80x83            ⁢      ounces                  distilled      ⁢              xe2x80x83            ⁢      water      ⁢              :            ⁢              xe2x80x83            ⁢      D        =          2      -              C        ⁢                  xe2x80x83                ⁢        ounces            
xe2x80x83where the carbonated distilled water used here was first diluted with distilled water until its pH was 4.0.)
6. Measure the pH of this 2:1 slurry. Call it pHf.
7. Then xcex4pHLA=pHoxe2x88x92pHf, and is, therefore, a positive number which reflects the pH drop due to lactic acid formation in the product as it dried.
xe2x80x83As used throughout this specification, the term xe2x80x9c2:1 slurryxe2x80x9d refers to a slurry consisting of 1 part the solids of the batter or the product made from the batter and two parts distilled water. In the case of a 2:1 slurry made from a batter, the water inherent in the batter plus added water would be twice the weight of the solids in the batter. In the case of a dehydrated end product, the product is considered as having no inherent water, and the water which is added is twice the weight of the portion of the product from which the slurry is to be made.
* 2:1 slurries were prepared from earlier batches of crackers using 2 ounces of neutral pH water (water with a pH of 7) instead of 2 ounces of distilled water. Since all batters are now prepared with carbonated distilled water, it is more accurate to prepare 2:1 slurries with carbonated distilled water (Sprout Flour Based NP CLASS Crackers) or a mixture of distilled water and carbonated distilled water (Liquefied Sprout Based NP CLASS Crackers). But since distilled water is very weakly ionized (due to some dissolved carbon dioxide), this is not a significant factor. 
To overcome the disadvantages of the background art products described in the previous section, I present as my invention NonPasteurized, Controlled Lactic Acid Souring Sprouted Food Products, hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cNP CLASSxe2x80x9d Food Products. NP CLASS Food Products has two species. The first species is referred to as NP CLASS Crackers. These crackers are prepared with methods to inhibit mold and limit bacterial souring, thus permitting these crackers to be prepared at a temperature low enough to minimize damage to vital nutrients (especially enzymes) thus producing tasty food products with many health benefits. The second species is referred to as Raw Unsoured Shelf-stable Testae Intact Converted Sprouted Seed Products, hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cRUSTIC Sprouted Seed Productsxe2x80x9d. Also presented is the RUSTIC Press, a special device used to produce an exceptionally thin compressed sprouted seed product. RUSTIC Sprouted Seed Products are prepared without cooking or preservatives from seeds utilizing sprouting techniques and low temperature water activity reduction methods to prevent bacterial souring and fungal growths thus minimizing damage to vital nutrients (especially enzymes) and thus producing tasty shelf-stable food products with many health benefits.
Section 4.2 will provide the summary of the NP CLASS Crackers, their objects and advantages, and Section 4.3 will provide the summary of RUSTIC Sprouted Seed Products, their objects and advantages.
The NP CLASS Cracker is an essentially raw, crisp, agglutinated, unleavened cracker made from raw edible sprouts; pieces of absorbent vegetal matter; and whatever additional agglutinant that is required to agglutinate the product. For best results, the product should contain more than Pavm percent by weight pieces of absorbent vegetable matter where Pavm=(2.4/AC). Pavm stands for Percentage of Absorbent Vegetal Matter. AC stands for Absorbent Capacity. AC is the amount of water in ounces that 1 ounce of the absorbent vegetal matter can absorb. The absorbent vegetable matter contemplated by this invention includes:
soft and mild tasting seeds selected from the group consisting of whole sesame seeds, whole hulled sesame seeds, whole poppy seeds, hulled sunflower seeds, steel cut hulled oats, and teff seeds; (Steel cut oats are oats in which each oat grain has been sliced into several pieces. Whole hulled oats are rather tough to chew; slicing the oats makes them much easier to chew.) Hereinafter the term xe2x80x9csoft seedsxe2x80x9d shall be used to mean one or more types of seeds selected from the aforementioned group. All of these seeds are mild tasting and either very tiny or soft enough to be easily masticated by humans. Following are some of the characteristics of the seeds in this group:
xe2x80x83This group of seeds shall hereinafter be referred to as xe2x80x9cThe Preferred Group of Soft Seedsxe2x80x9d.
small chunks of dried fruit. Preferred are those fruits which have a water content before drying of at least 75% and have a shelf life of at least one year after drying. Fruits which initially have a larger percentage of water, when dehydrated, tend to absorb more water from the cracker batter into which they are stirred. In other words they are more efficient for the purposes of this invention. The following fruits are useful for the purposes of this invention:
xe2x80x83This group of fruit shall hereinafter be referred to as xe2x80x9cThe Preferred Group of Fruitsxe2x80x9d.
small chunks of dried vegetables. Preferred are those vegetables which have a water content before drying of at least 75% and have a shelf life of at least one year after drying. Vegetables which initially have a larger percentage of water, when dehydrated, tend to absorb more water from the cracker batter into which they are stirred. In other words they are more efficient for the purposes of this invention. The following vegetables are useful for the purposes of this invention:
xe2x80x83This group of vegetables shall hereinafter be referred to as xe2x80x9cThe Preferred Group of Vegetablesxe2x80x9d.
The amount of water that a given amount of one of the above fruits or vegetables can absorb after being fully dehydrated is very closely related to its water content before being dried. For example, fresh strawberries are approximately 90% water. Thus, one ounce of dehydrated strawberries can absorb approximately nine ounces of water.
The book, How To Dry Foods, by Deanna DeLong (Published by HPBooks, A division of Price Stern Sloan, Inc., 360 N. La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, Calif. 90048, 1979) gives detailed instructions for the pretreatments required for each of the above fruits and vegetables before they are dehydrated so that a successful outcome may be obtained.
The NP CLASS Cracker is related to, but much improved over, the raw Essene breads or crackers which were made in the Essene community shortly before the birth of Jesus Christ. There are two subspecies of NP CLASS Crackers: xe2x80x9cSprout Flour Based NP CLASS Crackersxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cLiquefied Sprouts Based NP CLASS Crackersxe2x80x9d.
The first and preferred subspecies, Sprout Flour Based NP CLASS Crackers, is made from milled (i.e. ground to flour) dehydrated sprouts and more than Pavm percent by weight pieces of absorbent vegetal matter. There are two varieties: xe2x80x9cSweetxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cCheesyxe2x80x9d (i.e. with a cheese-like taste). The Sweet Variety is prepared with a water activity depressant (defined later) to inhibit bacterial souring with its concomitant lactic acid formation. Since lactic acid formation is suppressed, this cracker has a sweet taste. The Cheesy Variety is not prepared with a water activity depressant and has a taste which resembles that of a cheese cracker.
The second and nonpreferred subspecies, Liquefied Sprouts Based NP CLASS Crackers, is made from liquefied nondehydrated (i.e. moist and still growing) sprouts and more than Pavm percent by weight pieces of absorbent vegetal matter. Again there are two varieties: xe2x80x9cSweetxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cCheesyxe2x80x9d (i.e. with a cheese-like taste). The Sweet Variety is prepared with a water activity depressant (defined later) to inhibit bacterial souring with its concomitant lactic acid formation. Since lactic acid formation is suppressed, this cracker has a sweet taste. The Cheesy Variety is not prepared with a water activity depressant and has a taste which resembles that of a cheese cracker. Due to the difference in preparation methods, Liquefied Sprouts Based NP CLASS Crackers have a somewhat different taste than Sprout Flour Based NP CLASS Crackers.
Both subspecies of NP CLASS Crackers share the following characteristics:
No discernible mold or fungal growths. This is the sine qua non of cracker manufacturing, for moldy crackers have no commercial value regardless of their other properties, no matter how beneficial they may be. By limiting the relative humidity of the atmosphere about the cracker batter to less than 45% while dehydrating the cracker batter, maintaining good air circulation at the surface of the drying batter, and reducing the water activity of the cracker batter below 0.60 before about 48 hours have elapsed, it is virtually assured that there will be no mold or fungal growths on the final product.
Nonpasteurized. This characteristic is the main attraction for the raw health food enthusiast. Because these products have been prepared at a temperature well below the temperature at which food enzymes are destroyed, NP CLASS Crackers contain most, if not all, of the enzymatic activity of the living sprouts from which they were made. As will be disclosed, laboratory analyses show that NP CLASS Crackers retain more than 90% of the diastatic activity of the sprouts from which they were made.
Contain minimal or no lactic acid. As was mentioned earlier, raw sprouted grain crackers which are more than about xe2x85x9 inch thick prepared by the methods of the background art develop a considerable amount of lactic acid which causes the resultant product to taste unacceptably sour and bitter. Using the methods disclosed herein to make NP CLASS Crackers, xcex4pHLA, the pH drop due to lactic acid formation during the dehydration of the cracker batter is less than 1.15 for crackers up to an inch thick, as compared with a xcex4pHLA of 1.3 or greater during the preparation of background art products which are more than xe2x85x9 inch thick. The small amount of lactic acid souring which causes a pH drop of no larger than about 1.15 in the cheesy varieties of NP CLASS Crackers imparts a pleasant cheesy taste to the crackers. When the drop in pH due to lactic acid formation is greater than about 1.3, the cracker develops a sour and bitter taste which renders it virtually unmarketable.
Water Activity of less than 0.50. Due to its low water activity this product is shelf-stable, and will keep for many months without noticeable deterioration.
No pH gradient from the lower to the upper surface of the cracker. All background art products are prepared upon a solid drying surface which leads the upper surface of the drying batter to dry more quickly than the lower surface which is not exposed to drying air. Consequently there will be considerable formation of lactic acid along the lower surface of the batter and gradually diminishing amounts of lactic acid formation in those regions of the batter which are successively closer to the upper surface of the batter. This pH gradient is one of the reasons why background art products have an unacceptable sourness and bitterness. NP CLASS Crackers, on the other hand, are prepared on dehydrator screens. Therefore, both the upper and lower surfaces of the spread batter dry simultaneously, and there is no pH gradient from the lower to the upper batter surfaces. (Suitable screen material would have a hole size of about 0.12 inches by 0.14 inches, and a strand thickness of about 0.05 inches. The screen material provides a perforated surface which gives drying air access to the lower drying surface of the cracker batter.) The type of drying surface provided by a supported screen, mesh, perforated surface or other functionally equivalent surface which gives drying air access to both the upper and lower surfaces of the drying batter simultaneously shall be called a xe2x80x9cdouble-access drying surfacexe2x80x9d. The upper surface of the double-access drying surface which contacts the lower surface of the drying batter shall be referred to as xe2x80x9cthe upper surface of the double-access drying surfacexe2x80x9d.
NP CLASS Crackers can be made considerably thicker (up to 1 inch or more) than background art products which results in a larger cracker yield from a given drying surface. The result is reduced preparation time (with concomitant reduced energy cost), reduced materials cost (not as many drying surfaces required), and reduced clean-up time, there not being as many drying surfaces to clean.
Substantially uniform appearance of the upper and lower surfaces of the cracker. When the cracker batter is dried on screens rather than on solid drying surfaces, drying air has access to both upper and lower batter surfaces, leading to a substantially uniform appearance for both surfaces. When a solid drying surface is used, the lower drying surface develops a much lighter color and smoother appearance than the upper drying surface.
Moderating the hardness of the cracker. NP CLASS Crackers consisting of equal amounts of sprouted wheat and pieces of absorbent vegetal matter are almost too hard for human consumption due to the high gluten content of wheat. The hardness of the cracker can be moderated either by using a considerably larger proportion of absorbent vegetal matter or by incorporating a sufficient percentage of nongluten-containing sprouts in the cracker batter. (When a cracker batter containing only sprouted wheat is fully dehydrated, the resultant product is hard enough to scratch soft wood and break a tooth of one who attempts to consume it.) Due to its high oil content, the preferred absorbent vegetal matter for moderating hardness is cured olives. Even when the last trace of moisture is removed from cured olives via dehydration, the dried olives are still quite soft and flexible due to their high oil content.
Additionally either subspecies may be prepared with an added amount of a water activity depressant. A water activity depressant is any edible substance which can be added to the cracker batter to lower its water activity. If a sufficient amount of water activity depressant is added to the cracker batter to lower its water activity below 0.91, the growth of souring microorganisms is suppressed, thus inhibiting lactic acid formation during the preparation of the product. (When using salt as the water activity depressant, however, enough salt must be added to the cracker batter to lower its water activity below 0.75xe2x80x94halophilic (xe2x80x9csalt tolerantxe2x80x9d) bacteria thrive in environments with water activities all the way down to 0.75.)
In the manufacture of Sprout Flour Based NP CLASS Crackers, milled dried sprouts and pieces of absorbent vegetal matter are stirred into carbonated water to form the cracker batter. It has been found that if the water activity of the water into which the sprout flour and the pieces of absorbent vegetal matter are to be stirred is reduced to less than 0.91 (to less than 0.75 when salt is used) by adding a sufficient amount of a water activity depressant to this water, souring of the resultant batter will be suppressed, but the mixture of water and the water activity depressant is still thin enough that the milled dried sprouts and other ingredients can easily be stirred into it. Then if the water activity of this resulting batter is quickly reduced to less than 0.60 (the point below which no microbial activity of any kind can occur) before the slower growing molds and yeasts make their appearance, all microbial activity is effectively suppressed.
It should be noted that if enough of a syrupy type water activity depressant is added to the water into which the sprout flour and the pieces of absorbent vegetal matter are to be stirred to lower its water activity to less than 0.60, thus suppressing all microbial activity, the resultant liquid is too thick for the other ingredients to be stirred into it.
In the manufacture of Liquefied Sprouts Based NP CLASS Crackers, a mixture of undehydrated sprouts and some additional water is liquefied in a food processor. Similarly in this case, it has been found that if a sufficient amount of a water activity depressant is added to these sprouts before liquefying them, such that the resultant sprout batter will have a water activity of less than 0.91 (less than 0.75 when salt is used), again souring of the batter is suppressed, and the batter is still thin enough that other ingredients can easily be stirred into it. Then if the water activity of this batter is quickly reduced to less than 0.60 (the point below which no microbial activity of any kind can occur) before the slower growing molds and yeasts make their appearance, all microbial activity again is effectively suppressed.
It should again be noted that if enough of a syrupy type water activity depressant is admixed with undehydrated sprouts before liquefying them to lower the water activity of the resultant batter below 0.60, thus suppressing all microbial activity, the resultant liquid is again too thick to stir any other ingredients into it.
Some substances which have been found effective in lowering water activity are: honey, fruit syrups, grain syrups, molasses, maple syrup, sugars, carob powder (due to its high sugar content), salts, and salt-water seaweeds such as kelp and dulse (due to their high salt content).
Applicant has determined the water activity of the following aqueous solutions and mixtures:
Agglutinated. A food product can be said to be agglutinated if at least one of its ingredients contains free agglutinant. If the agglutinant resides in the seeds or seed sprouts which the product contains, the seeds or seed sprouts would then, of necessity, have to be liquefied or milled so that the agglutinant therein might be released to fulfill its desired role as an agglutinant. If the seeds are gluten-free, then one of the other ingredients of the product would have to have or be an agglutinant. Whenever a thick syrupy water activity depressant such as honey, a fruit concentrate, an aqueous sugar solution, a grain syrup, molasses, or a tree sap (i.e. maple syrup) is used, the natural agglutinating property of the syrup will give such sufficient hardness to the resultant product that little, if any, extra agglutinant need be added to the batter from which the product is to be made. Applicant, in fact, has found that when a sufficient amount of honey, an aqueous sugar solution, or a heavy fruit or grain syrup is used as the water activity depressant, no extra agglutinant need be added, and, further, when a sufficient amount of such a water activity depressant is used, a more acceptable product is obtained if the seed sprouts used are gluten-free. If the seed sprouts are not gluten-free, the end product may be unacceptably hard if the water activity is reduced much below 0.45. Applicant has also found that the use of either honey or sugar as the water activity depressant results in a somewhat softer cracker than when fruit, grain, or other kinds of sweet syrups are used as the water activity depressant.
What is meant therefore when it is said that one of the steps in preparing the product batter is xe2x80x9cadding, if necessary, a sufficient amount of agglutinant to agglutinate the productxe2x80x9d is that if the batter does not contain sufficient agglutinant in it to cause the resultant dried product to hold together, then sufficient additional agglutinant must be added to the batter to cause the resultant dried product to hold together. (A little trial and error may be required to determine how much added agglutinant is necessary to cause the resultant dried product to hold together.)
NP CLASS Crackers of the Liquefied Sprouts Based Species have the following additional characteristic: They have a taste reminiscent of the taste of the Essene sprouted grain breads produced by Shiloh Farms and Nature""s Path Foods Inc. Other than this slight difference in taste, there is no known physical difference between the two species. The two subspecies differ only as to the manner of production. Applicant believes, however, that the sprout flour based subspecies is more finely ground than the liquefied sprouts based subspecies. As will be shown by the comparison made between these two subspecies in xc2xa74.2, the sprout flour based subspecies is the preferred embodiment of NP CLASS Crackers.
The methods used to limit souring in the manufacture of NP CLASS Crackers are given below.
First of all I present skeleton outlines of the methods for making the two species of NP CLASS Crackers so that the various aspects of the invention can be more clearly followed:
A. Species 1. Sprout Flour Based NP CLASS Crackers
1. Sprout the plant seeds.
2. Dehydrate the sprouts.
3. Mill the dehydrated sprouts.
4. Mix the milled dehydrated sprouts with water (and with an agglutinant, if the sprouts do not contain sufficient gluten to agglutinate the product) to form a batter.
5. Thoroughly mix the above batter with pieces of absorbent vegetal matter.
6. Spread the batter onto the drying surface (preferably a double-access drying surface such as dehydrator screens).
7. Dehydrate the batter until the water activity thereof has been reduced below 0.45.
B. Species 2. Liquefied Sprouts Based NP CLASS Crackers
1. Sprout the plant seeds.
2. Using a food processor, blend at high speed a mixture of the sprouts, any added water, and any agglutinant required to sufficiently agglutinate the final product such that it holds together. (This operation xe2x80x9cliquefiesxe2x80x9d the sprouts.)
3. Thoroughly mix the above batter with pieces of absorbent vegetal matter.
4. Spread the batter onto the drying surface (preferably a double-access drying surface such as dehydrator screens).
5. Dehydrate the batter until the water activity thereof has been reduced below 0.45.
Methods for Reducing Lactic Acid Formation in Raw Sprouted Seed Products:
(1) Maintaining the relative humidity of the atmosphere about the drying batter below 45%, and preferably even lower. The lower the relative humidity of the atmosphere about the drying batter, the quicker will dehydration of the batter proceed, thus giving the lactic acid bacteria in the batter a much shorter time in which to produce lactic acid before the water activity of the drying batter drops below 0.91. (0.91 is the minimum water activity level required to support bacterial growth. However, if salt is the water activity depressant, halophilic bacteria can thrive at water activities all the way down to 0.75.) Further, the relative humidity of the atmosphere about the drying batter must be prevented from rising above 100% times the desired water activity of the final product. For example, if the desired water activity of the product is 0.35, the relative humidity of the atmosphere about the drying batter should be maintained below 35%. Keeping the relative humidity below 45% greatly reduces drying time, thus reducing bacterial souring, and preventing mold. If, at any time, the relative humidity is allowed to climb above 70%, molding is encouraged. This method is absolutely essential to product success. Without this method, product success is unlikely regardless of what other methods are used.
It is preferred that the operations of dehydrating the sprouts, preparing the cracker batter, and dehydrating the cracker batter be performed in a closed room or area in order that the temperature and relative humidity of the atmosphere about the drying products can be carefully controlled. Throughout this specification, the term xe2x80x9cPreparation Roomxe2x80x9d will be used to refer to the closed room or area in which product preparation activities which involve dehydration take place. It is preferred that the temperature in the Preparation Room be maintained in the range of 90xc2x0 to 104xc2x0 F., and that the relative humidity of the air (atmosphere) in the Preparation Room be maintained below 45%.
According to pages 5 and 124 of the fourth edition of Food Microbiology: 
xe2x80x9cMicroorganisms have an absolute demand for water, for without water no growth can occur. As might be expected, the exact amount of water needed for growth of microorganisms varies. This water requirement is best expressed in terms of available water or water activity aw, the vapor pressure of the solution (of solutes in water in most foods) divided by the vapor pressure of the solvent (usually water). The aw for pure water would be 1.00, and for a 1.0 m solution of the ideal solute the aw would be 0.9823. The aw (xc3x97100) would be in equilibrium with the relative humidity (RH) of the atmosphere about the food. In other words, awxc3x97100=equilibrium relative humidity (ERH) (%), or (ERH÷100)=aw. A relative humidity about a food corresponding to an aw lower than that of the food would tend to dry the surface of the food; conversely, if the relative humidity were higher than that corresponding to the aw, the latter would be increased at the surface of the food.xe2x80x9d
xe2x80x9cToo high a relative humidity favors the growth of spoilage micro-organisms. The highest humidity, near saturation, is required for most bacterial growth on the surface of foods; less moisture is needed by yeasts, about 90 to 92 percent, and still less by molds, which can grow in a relative humidity of 85 to 90 percent.xe2x80x9d
(2) Mixing the product batter with pieces of absorbent vegetal matter equal to at least Pavm percent of the weight of the final dehydrated product. The absorbent vegetal matter is selected from the group consisting of dried fruit, dried vegetables and soft seeds. If soft seeds are used, it is preferable that these seeds be pre-soaked but not sprouted and then dried. (Soaking the seeds for twelve hours deactivates the majority of the enzyme inhibitors in the seeds. It has been found, however, that the negative effect of the enzyme inhibitors in raw unsprouted seeds is more than overcome if an equal amount of raw sprouted seeds is eaten at the same time.) The following mild-tasting, soft seeds have been found to result in an acceptable product: whole hulled sesame seeds, whole poppy seeds, hulled sunflower seeds, unhulled teff grain (which, although not really soft, is very small ({fraction (1/150)}th the size of a wheat grain), and thus presents no difficulty to mastication) and steel cut oats (the oats are fractured for easier mastication). Although not tried, whole unhulled sesame seeds should also yield an acceptable product. Each of these seeds is relatively soft (or, in the case of teff seeds, very small) when compared to such hard seeds as wheat, triticale, rye, barley, and rice. Further each of these seeds has a relatively mild taste when compared with such strong tasting soft seeds as caraway, dill, anise, cumin, coriander, and celery. (Small amounts of these stronger tasting seeds can be added for flavor, and then they serve a double function in the batter.) Using seeds which are soft (or very small) greatly facilitates mastication of the resultant product. For reasons of taste, softness, availability, and cost, the preferred soft seeds are whole hulled sesame seeds (with whole poppy seeds running a distant second).
Adding pieces of absorbent vegetal matter to the product batter gives rise to four unexpected results:
1. If a sufficient amount of absorbent vegetal matter is added to the product batter, the batter becomes thick enough (due to the absorption of the liquid of the mixture by the dry pieces of absorbent vegetal matter) to be spread upon dehydrator screens instead of solid sheets without significant leakage through the screen apertures. The inventive trick here is to add all the ingredients except the pieces of absorbent vegetal matter to the batter, and stir the batter well. The batter is still easy to stir and the ingredients of the batter can be thoroughly mixed together. Then after the batter is thoroughly mixed, the pieces of absorbent vegetal matter are stirred in last. The amount of water in the batter and the amount of pieces of absorbent vegetal matter now being added can be so proportioned that a very thick batter is formed which can now be poured on dehydrator screens without significant leakage through the screen openings. However, this mixture is very difficult to stir and, unless stirred well, the pieces of absorbent vegetal matter will not be evenly dispersed or distributed throughout the batter. The batter, being very stiff, is also difficult to spread evenly on the screens, and some of the batter will be forced into the screen openings making the dehydrated product somewhat difficult to remove from the screens.
xe2x80x83At the expense of a slight increase in bacterial souring, somewhat more water can be added to the batter, such that the mixture is easier to stir and the pieces of absorbent vegetal matter can be more easily and evenly dispersed throughout the batter. Then, following preparation of the batter, the batter can be allowed to set for about 30 minutes or so, during which time, the pieces. of absorbent vegetal matter therein will absorb sufficient water from the rest of the batter to make it thick enough so that it can now be spread on dehydrator screens without significant leakage through the screen openings. But now, again, the batter being very stiff is difficult to spread evenly on the dehydrator screens, and some batter will again be forced into the screen openings making the dehydrated product somewhat difficult to remove from the screens.
xe2x80x83Therefore, the most preferable way to prepare and spread the batter is as follows: After having prepared the batter with somewhat more water as just described, spread the batter on a flat surface in portions just smaller than the screens on which the batter will later be placed. Since somewhat more water was used, the batter is fairly easy to so spread. Now the spread batter portions can be allowed to set for about 30 minutes or so as above, during which time the pieces of absorbent vegetal matter in the batter absorb liquid from the batter thus making it thicker. After this time, the batter should be sturdy enough to be sliced and lifted off the flat surface and placed on dehydrator screens without breaking apart or leaking through the screens. Since no pressure need be applied to place these batter portions on the dehydrator screens, little, if any, of the batter will seep through the screen openings, and, at the end of the dehydration process, the dried batter can be easily removed from the screens. After the batter portions have been placed upon screens, the batter or mixture on each screen is dehydrated until the water activity thereof has been reduced below 0.60. The use of double-access drying surfaces such as dehydrator screens instead of solid sheets allows the drying air of a dehydrator to dry both the upper and lower surfaces of the drying batter simultaneously. This speeds up drying time and greatly reduces bacterial souring.
2. The second unexpected result is that the addition of pieces of absorbent vegetal matter to the batter results in a less soured product. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the addition of pieces of absorbent vegetal matter to the batter results in a less soured product because the pieces of absorbent vegetal matter absorb some of the water from the batter during the early hours of dehydration, thus making it unavailable for microbial growth. It should be mentioned here that if the pieces of absorbent vegetal matter are soft seeds, sprouting and dehydrating the seeds instead of merely soaking and dehydrating the seeds, causes the seeds to lose most of their water absorbing ability, making them virtually useless for their intended purpose in this invention. (By sprouting, it is meant that after the seeds have been soaked, they are exposed to the air for more than about four hours, toward the end of which time a small shoot appears.)
3. In the case where the pieces of absorbent vegetal matter are soft seeds, it has been found that even after the soft seeds are dehydrated, they are still soft, and make the resultant cracker somewhat softer and easier to chew. Thicker crackers can now be made. Crackers made of sprouted wheat alone, for example, have very sharp edges when they are thoroughly dried.
4. In the case where the pieces of absorbent vegetal matter are shredded dried cured olives, the resultant cracker is chewy and moist due to the high oil content of dried olives. Many taste-conscious people consider that NP CLASS Crackers prepared without either dried shredded cured olives or a syrupy type of water activity depressant (see 3A below) are too dry to be palatable.
(3A) For the Sprout Flour Based Crackers, adding a water activity depressant to the liquid into which the milled dried sprouts are to be stirred. The following table from page 10 of the fourth edition of Food Microbiology by Frazier and Westhoff (McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1988) shows the lowest water activity values permitting growth of spoilage organisms:
According to this table, the minimal water activity required to support the growth of many bacteria is 0.91. Only those bacteria which require or thrive on a high level of salt can grow at a lower activity than 0.91.
If, however, an amount of a syrupy type of water activity depressant were added to the liquid into which the sprouts and pieces of absorbent vegetal matter are to be stirred sufficient to lower the water activity of that liquid below 0.60, so as to suppress all microbial activity, the liquid becomes too thick to have stirred into it the milled dried sprouts and pieces of absorbent vegetal matter. And even if it were possible to disperse the sprouts and pieces of absorbent vegetal matter evenly throughout the liquid, it would be too sweet (if a sweet water activity depressant were used) or too salty (if a salt were used for the water activity depressant) to be considered a healthy or appetizing food for humans. Furthermore the resultant batter would be too thick and too gooey to be successfully spread on the dehydrator screens.
Applicant has discovered that it is sufficient to add just enough of a water activity depressant to the liquid to lower the water activity of that liquid below 0.91 for sugar based water activity depressants and below 0.75 for salt based water activity depressants. A water activity lower than 0.91 (or 0.75 if salt is used) suppresses the growth of lactic acid bacteria. Now when the sprouts and pieces of absorbent vegetal matter are stirred in, the water activity of the resultant batter drops a bit further. Now that the growth of lactic acid bacteria has been suppressed, the other methods of this invention are used to quickly lower the water activity of the cracker batter below 0.60 before the much slower growing yeasts and molds have a chance to make their appearance. Thus not only is the growth of all microorganisms effectively suppressed, but this minimal addition of a water activity depressant to the liquid into which the sprouts and pieces of absorbent vegetal matter are to be stirred, leaves this liquid still thin enough that the sprouts and pieces of absorbent vegetal matter can easily be stirred into and evenly dispersed throughout the liquid thus leading to a very successful product.
It should also be pointed out that the more water activity depressant that is used in the liquid into which the sprouts and pieces of absorbent vegetal matter are to be stirred, the higher will be the osmotic pressure of the liquid, and the less able will the pieces of absorbent vegetal matter be to absorb water from the batter to thicken it before the batter is spread on dehydrator screens. (Osmotic pressure is the force created across a semipermeable membranexe2x80x94in this case, the cell walls of the pieces of absorbent vegetal matterxe2x80x94separating two solutions of different concentrations. It results in the passage of water from the region of its greater concentration to a region of its lesser concentration.) Thus the use of this method causes method 2 to lose some of its effectiveness. In fact, if enough water activity depressant is used to lower the water activity of the liquid below 0.60, the pieces of absorbent vegetal matter will absorb no water from the batter, and it will not be possible to spread the batter on dehydrator screens; the batter will leak through the screen apertures making quite a mess. Hence, the less water activity depressant that is added, the easier the batter will be to handle.
(3B) For the Liquefied Sprouts Based Crackers, mixing the sprouts with a water activity depressant prior to liquefying them in a food processor. Here, however, if one wished to add a sufficient amount of a water depressant to the sprouts before liquefying them to ensure that the resultant batter would have a water activity below 0.60, so as to suppress all microbial activity, the amount of water activity depressant which would have to be added would be enormous since nondehydrated sprouts are more than 40% water. Such a batter could not yield desirable results.
So, here, again, it is sufficient to add just enough of a water activity depressant to the sprouts to lower the water activity of the resultant liquefied sprouts/water activity depressant mixture below 0.91 (below 0.75 if salt is used). And again, dehydration is used to quickly lower the water activity below 0.60 before the much slower growing yeasts and molds have a chance to make their appearance. Thus again not only is the growth of all microorganisms effectively suppressed, but this minimal addition of a water activity depressant to the sprouts before liquefying them, leaves the resultant liquefied batter still thin enough that the pieces of absorbent vegetal matter can easily be stirred into and evenly dispersed throughout the batter thus leading to a very successful product.
And again, it should also be pointed out that the more the amount of water activity depressant that is added to the sprouts that are to be liquefied, the higher will be the osmotic pressure of the resultant liquefied batter, and the less able will the pieces of absorbent vegetal matter which are stirred into this batter be to absorb water from the batter to thicken it before the batter is spread on dehydrator screens. Thus the use of this method again causes method 2 to lose some of its effectiveness. Here again, the less water activity depressant that is added to the sprouts before liquefying them, the easier the resultant batter will be to handle.
(4) For the Sprout Flour Based Crackers, when a syrupy type water activity depressant is used, utilizing as little water as possible in the liquid into which the sprouts and pieces of absorbent vegetal matter are to be stirred, so that liquids with a water activity in excess of 0.91 can be used. While, for example, a solution with a water activity of 0.92 is somewhat retarding bacterial souring, dehydration is so quickly carrying the water activity below 0.91, that bacterial souring never really has a chance to get started. The advantage in using as little water as possible, and, hence, as little of a syrupy type water activity depressant as possible, is that a softer more easily chewed cracker is obtained. The more of a syrupy type water activity depressant that is used, the harder the end product will be, making mastication difficult. Furthermore, the less water that is used, the less water activity depressant need be used to maintain the water activity of the liquid at a level required to prevent bacterial souring. Since all of the sweet syrup type water activity depressants contain sugar, the less that is used, the better inasmuch as large amounts of sugar have not been found to be conducive to good health. In addition, if only minimal amounts of water are used, dehydration proceeds much more quickly. This can add up to quite an energy saving.
(5) Having spread a very thick batter onto double-access drying surfaces (such as dehydrator screens), slicing the batter periodically (every half hour or so) into small square or rectangular slices. Due to the semi-liquid nature of the drying batter just below its surface, it tends to ooze back into the slice marks, and it is therefore necessary to reslice the batter every half hour or so until it no longer oozes back into the slice marks. By slicing the batter into very small squares or rectangles, the batter just below the surface and all the way down to the dehydrator screen is exposed to the drying air, (even if, initially, for only a minute or so) thus greatly speeding up the drying process and eliminating any possibility of fungal or mold growth. Further, with the larger batch sizes now possible, commercial production of these products is now feasible. Further, the smaller the size of the square or rectangular slices into which the batter is sliced, the shorter the time it will take to dry, and the less time the fermentative bacteria will have to ferment the batter from which the crackers are made. And the greater the energy saving will be. (It should also be noted that spreading the batter as thick as possible results in a tremendous cost savings: the more batter that is spread on each screen, the fewer the number of screens required to spread a given batch of batter and thus, the fewer the number of trays which must be purchased. There is also a labor savings as well: fewer screens and trays need be cleaned afterward.)
(6) Preparing the cracker batter with carbonated rather than with plain water. Using carbonated water results in a somewhat more porous product and a slightly faster drying time. Consequently there is somewhat less souring in the product, and the resultant product is somewhat easier to chew. According to page 1010 of Volume 16 of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, carbon dioxide gas gives carbonated beverages their sparkle and tangy taste and prevents spoilage. The amount of gas which water will absorb increases as the pressure is increased and the temperature is decreased.
(7) Maintaining the temperature of the atmosphere about the drying batter between 90xc2x0 and 104xc2x0 F. Lower temperatures unduly lengthen drying time, thus giving fermentative organisms more time to produce lactic acid.
(8) Heating the cracker batter to a temperature of 104xc2x0 F. before stirring in the pieces of absorbent vegetal matter and then maintaining the cracker batter at a temperature of 104xc2x0 F. until it is spread on dehydrator screens. Heating the batter to 104xc2x0 F., results in a slightly less viscous batter which makes it somewhat easier to stir in the pieces of absorbent vegetal matter. Furthermore, due to the lower viscosity of the batter, less water need be used to make the batter, thus resulting in a shortened dehydration time and lower energy costs. In addition, when the batter is maintained at a temperature of 104xc2x0 F., the batter dries faster thus giving fermentative organisms less time for their souring activity, and thus yielding a better tasting product with a somewhat higher pH value.
(9) Dehydrating the cracker batter at a temperature in excess of 104xc2x0 F. (but less than 118xc2x0 F.). Lower temperatures unduly lengthen the dehydration process giving fermentative bacteria the opportunity to produce more lactic acid. In addition a longer dehydration time increases the chances of mold and fungal growths. (But it is imperative that the dehydration temperature be kept below 118xc2x0 F. as higher temperatures destroy food enzymes.) Dehydration has three parameters: temperature, the relative humidity of the atmosphere about the drying product, and air flow velocity over the surfaces of the product. The time to dehydrate a given mass of cracker batter varies inversely with temperature and air flow velocity and varies directly with humidity. Therefore, most preferredly, the temperature will be maintained at about 104xc2x0 F., humidity will be maintained below 45 percent and as much lower than that as is feasible, and the velocity of air flow over the drying surfaces of the batter shall be made as high as possible without being so strong that the cracker batter is blown about.
(10) Using as little water as possible in the cracker batter. The less water used in the cracker batter in proportion to the other ingredients, the shorter will be the dehydration time and the greater will be the energy savings.
(11) Each of these methods contributes somewhat to reducing xcex4pHLA, the pH drop due to lactic acid souring in the batter as it dries. For example, Methods 1 and 8 done without Methods 2 and 5 does not result in a sufficiently reduced pH drop to yield an acceptable product. For a commercially acceptable product, at least methods 1, 2, 5, 7, and 9 should be used.
4.2.1 Advantages of Sprout Flour Based Products Over Liquefield Sprouts Based Products:
Thus this invention has two embodiments, Sprout Flour Based NP CLASS Crackers and Liquefied Sprouts Based NP CLASS Crackers. The Sprout Flour Based NP CLASS Crackers Subspecies is the preferred embodiment of this invention for the following reasons:
(1) Convenient Division of the Task of Cracker Production into a Sprouting Phase and a Cracker Making Phase. Both the Method for Liquefied Sprouts Based NP CLASS Crackers and the Method for Sprout Flour Based NP CLASS Crackers specify that after the seeds to be sprouted have been soaked in water for the requisite length of time, they should then be sprouted for 18 hours or more. It is at the point where the sprouts have grown to maturity that the two methods diverge. The method for Liquefied Sprouts Based NP CLASS Crackers teaches that the mature sprouts should be immediately liquefied in a food processor in order to stop the growth of the sprouts. (The sprouts can be refrigerated which will considerably slow their growth, but after a few days in the refrigerator, they will begin to deteriorate, developing an off flavor and yielding an inferior product.) For various reasons, however, it may not be convenient to immediately liquefy the sprouts:
Personnel or facilities may not be available to immediately process liquefied sprouts which begin to sour almost immediately.
It may not be known which crackers customers may demand in the following week. Due to this, seeds usually will be sprouted only as crackers are ordered. Since the soak/sprout cycle requires 28 or more hours, it will not be possible to be as responsive to customers"" demands as would be the case if the sprouts were immediately available for cracker making. For example, three different orders during a week would mean 3 extra sprouting sessions, each with its attendant care and cleanup afterward. Not being able to respond immediately to customers"" demands results in unhappy customers and lost business.
For these reasons, it would be advantageous if the amount of sprouts which will be required in the near future could be sprouted at one time and then used to make crackers as needed. The method for the Sprout Flour Based NP CLASS Crackers teaches that the mature sprouts should be dehydrated and then refrigerated until needed to make crackersxe2x80x94thus sprouts are always available for making crackers. Therefore a whole month""s requirement for sprouts can be sprouted at one time, dehydrated, and then stored under refrigeration until needed. Dehydrated sprouts will keep well under refrigeration for well over a year. No longer is it necessary to sprout small batches of seeds as required to fulfill customers"" orders. Dehydrated sprouts under refrigeration are just as fresh after months in the refrigerator as they were when they reached maturity. Then when an order comes in for a given type of crackers, one need take only the required amount of dehydrated sprouts from the refrigerator, mill these sprouts, add other ingredients, and make the crackers. If only the method for making the Liquefied Sprouts Based Crackers were known, every time a customer ordered these crackers, he would have to wait an extra 28 or more hours longer to receive his order than would be the case if the method for making Sprout Flour Based NP CLASS Crackers were used. This is because in the Sprout Flour Based Method, a whole month""s required supply of sprouts could have been previously grown, dehydrated, and would now be in the refrigerator ready to be used. One need only go the refrigerator, obtain the required amount of dehydrated sprouts for this order, mill them, and use the resultant sprout flour to make the crackers. With the Liquefied Sprouts Based Method, however, one must first soak the seeds for the requisite length of time (about 10 hours), and sprout the seeds (18 or more hours), before the sprouts can be used to make crackers.
If one only knows the method for making Liquefied Sprouts Based NP CLASS Crackers, one cannot grow and refrigerate a whole month""s supply of sprouts at one time for they do not keep well under refrigerationxe2x80x94one must sprout the seeds in small batches as neededxe2x80x94whereas the dehydrated sprouts made in the method for making Sprout Flour Based NP CLASS Crackers keep well under refrigeration for a year or more.
(2) Reduced clean-up. When dried sprouts are milled, there is no cleanup required for the grain mill inasmuch as it is self-cleaning. But when a food processor is used to liquefy wet and growing sprouts and especially those containing gluten, cleanup is messy (the glutinous liquefied wheat sprouts adhering tenaciously to the interior surfaces of the food processor) and time consuming, and this cleanup must be repeated for each customer""s order. (The reason why cleanup is especially difficult is that gluten is not only sticky but also insoluble in water as well.) Consequently, crackers made by this method are not even advertised in my catalog; the extra time, nuisance, and expense involved makes it commercially unrewarding.
(3) Milling is a continuous process, whereas liquefying in a food processor is not. Thus milling sprouts is much faster than liquefying sprouts. Sprouts can be milled continuously, whereas the bowl of a food processor needs to be filled and then emptied after each portion is liquefied. Unless the food processor is cleaned after about every two hours of use, remains of earlier liquefied sprouts in the food processor bowl will begin to sour thus yielding progressively inferior batches of crackers. (Hence, a food processor must be cleaned often; the grain mill which Applicant uses to make Sprout Flour Based NP CLASS Crackers never needs to be cleaned. Please see xc2xa75.2 for a description of the grain mill used by Applicant.)
(4) More finely ground. It is easy to control the fineness of the grind when using a grain mill and next to impossible to control the fineness of the grind when using a food processor. With the flour produced by a grain mill, one can determine the particle size of the flour by measuring the percentage by weight of the flour which passes through a series of screens with graded U.S. sieve numbers. With the liquefied sprouts produced by a food processor, no corresponding measure is currently available.
(5) Easier to mix with further ingredients. Liquefied sprouts are more difficult to evenly disperse in water than milled sprout flour. And it is much easier to disperse other ingredients into a sprout flour slurry than into a liquefied sprout slurry.
(6) In order to obtain a liquefied sprout batter which is equivalent to the sprout flour based batter which was prepared with carbonated distilled water, it is necessary to add carbonated distilled water. But due to the high water content of wet growing sprouts, it will not be possible to use as much carbonated water in the cracker batter as would be the case with the Sprout Flour Based NP CLASS Crackers. The water in the growing sprouts contributes to the amount of water in the batter when the sprouts are liquefied. This water, of course, is not carbonated.
Applicant is not aware of any advantage that Liquefied Sprouts Based NP CLASS Crackers possess over the Sprout Flour Based NP CLASS Crackers (although, due to variations in taste preferences, it is conceivable that some people may prefer the taste of Liquefied Sprouts Based NP CLASS Crackers).
Please note that these methods do not involve either cooking or the use of chemical preservatives both of which are strongly objected to by those who have switched to an all-raw or mostly all-raw food diet.
4.2.2 Terminology of Invention
NP CLASS Crackers are uncooked; i.e. they are not subjected to such times and temperatures which would denature the proteins thereof. Further, these products are nonpasteurized. According to the fourth edition of Food Microbiology, xe2x80x9cPasteurization is a heat treatment that kills part but not all of the microorganisms present and usually involves the application of temperatures below 100 C. . . . Times and temperatures used in the pasteurizing process depend on the method employed and the product treated. The high-temperature-short-time (HTST) method employs a comparatively high temperature for a short time, whereas the low-temperature-long-time, or holding (LTH), method uses a lower temperature for a longer time. Some examples follow of pasteurizing treatments given various types of foods. The minimal heat treatment of market milk is at 62.8 C for 30 minutes in the holding method; at 71.7 C for at least 15 seconds in the HTST method; and at 137.8 C for at least 2 seconds in the ultrapasteurized method. . . . Dried fruits usually are pasteurized in the package at 65.6 to 85 C for 30 to 90 minutes, the treatment varying with the kind of fruit and the size of the package.xe2x80x9d (pages 24-25) All of these pasteurization methods destroy most of a food""s enzyme activity. In fact, according to page 98 of the fourth edition of Food Microbiology, bovine phosphatase enzyme is monitored in the pasteurization of milk. Detection of this enzyme in processed milk indicates that the milk was not properly pasteurized. What is meant, therefore, when it is stated that the NP CLASS Crackers are nonpasteurized, is that they were not subjected to such temperatures and durations of time which would be required to destroy most of the bacterial and fungal activity which ordinarily takes place in sprouts when their seed coats are broken. Such temperatures and times also destroy most of the enzyme activity as well. Further, NP CLASS Crackers are never heated to a temperature higher than 104xc2x0 F. (40xc2x0 C.), a temperature well below that required to destroy any of the known nutrients in seed sprouts.
By xe2x80x9cmeans for breaking seed coatsxe2x80x9d is meant any process and its associated equipment which can be used to break all the seed coats of a sprout-based product so that human beings can masticate it without difficulty. The methods for making NP CLASS Crackers specify two means for breaking the seed coats of the sprouted seeds:
1. Means for milling: This means is used to grind the dried seed sprouts to a fine flour or powder. A grain mill uses means for milling.
2. Means for liquefying: This means is used to liquefy moist sprouts to paste consistency. All of the seed coats of the sprouts are broken by this means. A food processor uses means for liquefying.
Whichever of these means is used for breaking seed coats, every seed""s seed coat is broken.
By xe2x80x9cwater activity reductionxe2x80x9d is meant any process and its associated equipment which can be used to reduce the amount of water in a product which is available for the growth of microorganisms. Each group of microorganisms has a different minimum water requirement to support growth. The purpose of water activity reduction methods is to reduce the amount of water in a product which is available to microorganisms below the lowest of these minimum requirements so that the product will be shelf-stable. If microorganisms are sufficiently deprived of water, they will no longer grow. According to page 6 of the 4th edition of Food Microbiology (McGraw Hill Book Company, 1988), xe2x80x9cWater is made unavailable in various ways:
1 Solutes and ions tie up water in solution. Therefore, an increase in the concentration of dissolved substances such as sugars and salts is in effect a drying of the material. Not only is water tied up by solutes, but water tends to leave the microbial cells by osmosis if there is a higher concentration of solute outside the cells than inside.
2 Hydrophilic colloids (gels) make water unavailable. . . .
3 Water of crystallization or hydration is usually unavailable to microorganisms. . . .xe2x80x9d
By xe2x80x9cmeans for dryingxe2x80x9d is meant utilizing any process and its associated equipment which can be used to remove water from the product thus reducing the moisture content of the product. Means for drying includes dehydration, use of a high speed fan or a wind tunnel, vacuum drying, using a blotter to remove moisture, etc.
By xe2x80x9climiting souringxe2x80x9d is meant utilizing the souring limitation methods of this invention in such a way that xcex4pHLA, the pH drop due to lactic acid formation during the production of NP CLASS Crackers will be less than 1.15 for the cheesy varieties of NP CLASS Crackers, and will be less than 0.2 for those products prepared with sufficient amounts of water activity depressant to lower the water activity of their batters to less than 0.91 (less than 0.75 if salt is used as the water activity depressant).
By xe2x80x9cmixingxe2x80x9d is meant any operation in which two or more distinct materials are brought by the application of force to a substantially homogeneous dispersion.
By xe2x80x9crehydrating milled sproutsxe2x80x9d is meant mixing an aqueous liquid with the milled sprouts such that the milled sprouts absorb some of this liquid.
Adequately agglutinated: A food product can be said to be adequately agglutinated if it holds together under normal conditions of shipping and use. Since wheat is very high in the agglutinant gluten, food products containing even as little as about 20% wheat or wheat sprouts by weight will most likely be adequately agglutinated. It should be noted, however, that the longer wheat is sprouted, the more is the gluten therein degraded, and the less is its agglutinating power. Other grains such as barley, oats, and rye contain lesser amounts of gluten than wheat, and crackers in which these grains predominate may need additional amounts of an agglutinant if they are to hold together under normal conditions of handling and use. Many seeds such as millet, corn, and alfalfa contain no gluten whatsoever and added amounts of an agglutinant will be required in crackers in which these seeds predominate if the cracker is to hold together. Therefore, crackers, in which gluten containing grains predominate may not require additional agglutinant as one of the ingredients whereas crackers made from low gluten or gluten free seeds will require an added agglutinant.
It should be mentioned that one of the constituents of NP CLASS Crackers must be or contain an agglutinant, or these crackers will not hold together. If the sprouted seeds contain sufficient gluten and a sufficient proportion of the product consists of these seeds, then the product will hold together. If the sprouted seeds used contain little or no gluten, or too small a proportion of gluten-containing seeds is used, then it will be necessary to add gluten, a grain containing gluten, or a substance with gluten-like characteristics (the agglutinant) such as honey, sugar, a fruit syrup, a grain syrup, molasses, or a tree syrup to the batter used to make the final product. If the sprouted seeds in NP CLASS Crackers contain gluten, and a high enough proportion of them is used, then no further agglutinant is necessary to hold these crackers together. If, on the other hand, the sprouted seeds of this product do not contain gluten, then an agglutinant (such as one of the previously mentioned agglutinants) must be added or this product will not hold together. In other words an agglutinant needs to be added to the product batter only if the sprouted seeds from which the batter is made do not contain sufficient gluten to hold the resultant dried product together. Therefore, one of the components or ingredients which this sprouted food product comprises must either be or contain an agglutinant. This is what I mean when I say that the product is, or must be, agglutinated.
4.2.3 Limitation of Souring in NP Class Crackers
The sweet varieties of both the preferred and nonpreferred species of NP CLASS Crackers use a water activity depressant such as honey or a fruit, grain, or tree syrup to retard bacterial souring until water activity has been reduced below the level at which microbial activity can take place. Except for those individuals who should severely limit their sugar intake, the moderate use of honey, fruit, grain, and tree syrups is acceptable to most health conscious consumers. NP CLASS Crackers do not require a preservative to prevent mold growth and rope development since the water activity of the crackers is reduced well below the level required to support such growths long before such slowly growing microbes can make their appearance. (Mold and fungal growths will only make an appearance in broken seed coat sprouted seed products if the water activity of these products has not been reduced below 0.60 by about the 48th hour of drying, or if the relative humidity of the atmosphere about the drying product is allowed to exceed about 70%.)
Finally, although the dried seed sprouts in NP CLASS Crackers are raw, they do not taste unpleasantly sour, having experienced a pH drop due to lactic acid formation of less than 1.15 (for the Cheesy Varieties) and less than 0.2 (for the Sweet Varieties) during the dehydration process which resulted in the final product. The sour taste which is found in raw sprouted seed products which were not processed using special methods to limit souring, is due to the excessive action of lactic acid bacteria on the moist exposed interior portion of the sprouted seeds before dehydration is complete. Such products typically have a pH drop due to lactic acid formation of greater than 1.3.
According to page 52 of the 4th edition of Food Microbiology (McGraw Hill Book Company, 1988), xe2x80x9cThe most important characteristic of the lactic acid bacteria is their ability to ferment sugars to lactic acid. This may be desirable in making products such as sauerkraut and cheese but undesirable in terms of spoilage of wines. Because they form acid rapidly and commonly in considerable amounts, they usually eliminate for the time being much of the competition from other microorganisms. The major genera include Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, and Pediococcus.xe2x80x9d
As the lactic acid bacteria ferment the sugars of the sprouts to lactic acid (an edible organic acid), the acid build up in the product lowers the pH of the product thus resulting in the sour taste. According to page 388 of the 4th edition of Food Microbiology (McGraw Hill Book Company, 1988), xe2x80x9cA simplified equation for the production of lactic acid from glucose by such organisms is 
Actually a series of steps is involved, and small amounts of other products are produced.xe2x80x9d
According to the article on xe2x80x9cHuman Sensory Receptionxe2x80x9d on page 552 of Volume 16 of The New Encyclopaedia Britannica (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 15th Edition, 1982), xe2x80x9cNo simple relation has been found between chemical composition of stimuli and the quality of gustatory experience except in the case of acids. . . . The hydrogen ions of acids (e.g., hydrochloric acid, HCl) are largely responsible for the sour taste; but although a stimulus grows more sour as its hydrogen ion (H+) concentration increases, this factor alone does not determine sourness. Weak organic acids (e.g., the acetic acid in vinegar) taste more sour than would be predicted from their hydrogen ion concentration alone; apparently the rest of the acid molecule affects the efficiency with which the hydrogen ions stimulate.xe2x80x9d This explains why raw sprouted grain crackers in which sufficient lactic acid souring has occurred to lower the pH of the crackers to 4.6 taste much more sour than honey which has a pH of about 4.0 and grape concentrate with a pH of 2.4. The lactic acid molecule stimulates those taste receptors in our taste buds which are sensitive to sour and bitter much more vigorously than do the acidic molecules in honey and grape concentrate.
Therefore, by measuring pH at various stages of the production process, it can be demonstrated that bacterial souring has been limited. As will be shown, those varieties of NP CLASS Crackers prepared without a water activity depressant experience a pH drop of less than 1.15 during the course of processing, and those varieties prepared with a water activity depressant experience a pH drop of less than 0.2 during processing.
As will be seen, the essence of this invention is that the souring of the processed sprouts which would otherwise ruin the taste of NP CLASS Crackers is limited by low temperature methods (which spare enzymes) rather than by cooking (which destroys enzymes) or by chemical preservatives (which may be harmful). While souring is being suppressed, water activity reduction methods are quickly reducing the water activity of these products below the level required to support microbial growth.
Lactic acid bacteria are normally present on the surface of sprouts. When the seed coats of the sprouts are broken, lactic acid bacteria enter. If there is sufficient warmth and moisture, these bacteria grow and begin fermenting the sugars of the sprouts to lactic acid thus lowering the pH thereof and ruining the taste. The use of methods to limit souring in the making of the cheesy varieties of NP CLASS Crackers coupled with water activity reduction effectively stops this bacterial souring at the peak of taste perfection resulting in products with a very pleasant cheesy taste. The use of these methods to practically eliminate souring in the making of the sweet varieties of NP CLASS Crackers (along with the incorporation of a suitable amount of a water activity depressant in the product batter) yields products with a very pleasant sweet taste.
As was indicated by the table on page 10 of the fourth edition of Food Microbiology, no microbiological activity takes place if the water activity of a food product falls below 0.60. Further, according to that table, the minimal water activity required to support the growth of many bacteria is 0.91. Only those bacteria which require or thrive on a high level.of salt can grow at a lower activity than 0.91.
Therefore the methods used in making NP CLASS Crackers limit bacterial growth until the water activity of the product is reduced below 0.60. (Freeze drying can not be used because freezing foods destroys most of their vitamin E, vitamin E being the only vitamin damaged by freezing temperature.)
4.2.4 Product Metrics
In order to define my invention more specifically, it is necessary to describe the type of circular solid dehydrator sheets and screens which come with the Harvest Maid FD 1000 Food Dehydrator I use to dehydrate my products.
A circular dehydrator solid sheet has a diameter of 13.5 inches. In the center of the sheet there is a 2.5 inches diameter hole. Therefore the surface area of this sheet is 3.14159*((13.5/2)**2xe2x88x92(2.5/2)**2)=138.23 square inches.
A circular dehydrator screen has a diameter of 13.625 inches. In the center of the screen there is a 2.5 inches diameter hole. Therefore the surface area of this screen is 3.14159*((13.625/2)**2xe2x88x92(2.5/2)**2)=140.89 square inches.
For each product prepared on a drying surface (either circular dehydrator solid sheets or on circular dehydrator screens), I compute the following Product Metrics:
4.2.5 Comparison of Methods With Those of the Closet Prior Art
In order to better illustrate the product and some of the methods that Applicant claims as his invention, Applicant will show below a side by side comparison of Applicant""s method and Baker""s method for producing Millet Crackers (page 113 of The UNcook Book by Elizabeth and Dr. Elton Baker), the closest known background art.
As mentioned in the discussion of the background art, Applicant weighed each of the ingredients listed in Baker""s recipe for Millet Crackers, so that this recipe could be exactly duplicated at any time. Below is a comparison of Baker""s Method for making millet crackers and Applicant""s method which utilizes some of the methods of Applicant""s invention:
The first four steps of each method are identical:
1. Soak xc2xe cup (=4.9 ounces) of millet seeds for 8 hours in distilled water.
2. Sprout millet for 48 hours. (The result should be about 9.675 ounces of millet sprouts which, therefore, can be considered as consisting of approximately 4.9 ounces of millet solids and 4.775 ounces water.)
3. Sprout xc2xc cup (=1.6 ounces) flaxseeds in 3/4 cup (=6 ounces) lukewarm distilled water for 12 hours. Do not drain.
Store in refrigerator until millet is sprouted. (Applicant assumes that Baker means that the flaxseed should merely be soaked in water in the refrigerator without the periodic washings and exposures to the air which normally characterize sprouting.)
4. Grind together the sprouted millet seeds and the soaked flax seeds. (No additional water need be added to facilitate the grinding of this mixture.) Add xc2xd teaspoon of salt (=0.07 ounces).
5. Remove 2 ounces of batter. Determine the pH value of a 2:1 slurry of this batter. This measured pH of the 2:1 slurry is called pHo. Measure the aw of the batter.
The remaining steps of the two methods differ, and a side by side comparison of the remaining steps of each method follows:
Applicant will now describe the novel features of his invention referring to the several steps of his above method for making sprouted rice crackers.
The big advantage in using 6.5 ounces of poppy seeds instead of 0.35 ounces at step 6B is two-fold. First the extra poppy seeds soak up water from the rest of the batter thus depriving lactic acid bacteria of this water which in and of itself will reduce bacterial souring. Second, the batter becomes thick enough during the waiting period to be spread on dehydrator screens instead of a cookie pan or a solid dehydrator sheet. This allows the batter to dry on both sides simultaneously, which eliminates the moisture gradient from the bottom of the batter to the drying surface and greatly accelerates dehydration thus further reducing bacterial souring.
Slicing the batter every 30 minutes of dehydration time for several hours further accelerates the drying process by ensuring that no part of the batter is more than xc2xd inch from a drying surface for longer than 30 minutes.
When Applicant followed the steps of his method for making Millet Crackers, he found that the aw of the batter after the 30 minute wait of step 7B was 0.905 which is just under the lowest aw which will support bacterial activity. The pHf at step 14B was 5.21 which is 0.01 lower than the pH of the batter as measured at step 5. Hence, xcex4pHLA=pHoxe2x88x92pHf=5.22xe2x88x925.21=0.01. This indicates that after the initial souring of the soaking flaxseeds in the refrigerator, the methods of Applicant""s invention inhibited any further bacterial souring.
4.2.6 Two Tests For Determining the Vitality of NP Class Crackers
At this point, one might wonder whether NP CLASS Crackers are xe2x80x9cliving foodsxe2x80x9d. There are two key tests for determining whether a sprouted seed product still possesses its xe2x80x9cvitalityxe2x80x9d. The first test is the test for enzyme activity. The dominant enzyme in sprouts is amylase (also called diastase), the enzyme which converts starches to sugars. The results of amylase enzyme analysis can be expressed as so many starch liquefying units (FM) per gram. (An enzyme with 1,000 starch liquefying units per gram reduces the viscosity of 300 times its weight of potato starch by 90% in 10 minutes at 70xc2x0 C. and pH 6.7.) From this measurement, the activity of the amylase enzyme (also called diastatic activity) in a product can be determined. A food retaining most of its amylase activity also retains most of its other enzyme activity as well. A food can be said to be mostly xe2x80x9clivingxe2x80x9d if it still possesses more than half of its enzyme activity. Samples of NP CLASS Crackers were submitted to a food testing laboratory for enzymatic analysis. Their analysis of NP CLASS Crackers for enzymatic activity shows that NP CLASS Crackers retain more than 90% of the amylase enzyme activity of the unprocessed sprouts from which they were made. (The results of this analysis are shown in xe2x80x9cThe Results of Enzymatic Analysis of the Products of This Inventionxe2x80x9d section (xc2xa75.8) of this patent application.) Therefore, NP CLASS Crackers can be considered living foods, retaining as they do substantially more than half of the amylase enzyme activity of the unprocessed sprouts from which they were made.
A second test of whether NP CLASS Crackers still possess their xe2x80x9cvitalityxe2x80x9d is the sprouting test. If unsprouted seeds of the type used in these products can be subjected to the same temperatures and durations of time as NP CLASS Crackers and will still sprout, it can be said that the temperatures and durations of time of the methodology herein disclosed have done nothing to harm the xe2x80x9cvitalityxe2x80x9d of the sprouts in NP CLASS Crackers. A method for verifying that 104xc2x0 F. (40xc2x0 C.) is a xe2x80x9csafexe2x80x9d temperature for the vitality of NP CLASS Crackers whereas 125xc2x0 F. (52xc2x0 C.) is a xe2x80x9cdestructivexe2x80x9d temperature for this vitality is taught in the xe2x80x9cVerification of Product Vitalityxe2x80x9d Section (xc2xa75.7) of this patent application. An actual example is also shown.
This new class of food products has two species which I list here in order that one can more easily follow the several objects and advantages of my invention:
(1) Sprout Flour Based NP CLASS Crackers (the preferred species).
(2) Liquefied Sprouts Based NP CLASS Crackers (the nonpreferred species).
4.2.7 Objects and Advantages
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of NP CLASS Crackers are:
(a) to provide healthful alternatives to baked goods and commercial snack foods retaining the vital nutrients (enzymes, proteins, vitamins, minerals, etc.) of the sprouts from which they were made in as natural a state as possible; i.e., the heat labile nutrients in these products have not been damaged. (both species)
(b) to provide an easy to chew raw sprouted food product with pleasant taste and excellent shelf life (the souring action which would render the product somewhat unpalatable being limited) and thus suitable for a dietary staple and a healthful snack food. Samples of my product (in which a water activity depressant was used) had no discernible mold or rancidity and had excellent taste even after 3 months in the refrigerator. This long and stable shelf life is due to the water activity of the product having been reduced to less than 0.60. (both species)
(c) to provide a raw sprouted food product which, although prepared without cooking or chemical preservatives, resists mold, fermentation, fungal growths, and vitamin depletion. (both species)
(d) to provide a method of producing raw sprouted food products in which the sprouting process can be separated in time from the water activity reduction process which produces the final product. In the method of the Sprout Flour Based Species, the seeds are sprouted and then dried. These dried sprouts will keep for months in the refrigerator since their outer coats are intact and their water activity is less than 0.60. Then, at any time when one is ready to produce the final product, the dried sprouts can be taken from the refrigerator, milled with a flour mill, rehydrated with or without a water activity depressant, and then subjected to water activity reduction to produce the final product. (Sprout Flour Based NP CLASS Crackers)
(e) to provide a quick drying method of making large quantities of good tasting sprouted products very economically and with significant energy savings. With each species, the batter not only can be made up to 1 inch thick, but also can be spread on dehydrator screens instead of dehydrator solid sheets thus greatly speeding up the dehydration process and reducing bacterial souring. Not only can larger batches of crackers now be obtained, but also fewer dehydrator trays and screens need be used, and considerably less cleanup is required. At last large scale economical production of NP CLASS Crackers is feasible. (both species)
(f) to provide a dietary staple prepared well below 160xc2x0 F. (71xc2x0 C.), the temperature at which proteins are denatured and possibly become carcinogenic. (Some commercial baked goods are prepared at temperatures of more than three times the temperature at which proteins are denatured. This is of great concern to me, for such high cooking temperatures are a possible contributing factor to our country""s current cancer epidemic. For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,968 to Szwerc et al. (1991) discloses crackers prepared at temperatures ranging from 350xc2x0 F. to 600xc2x0 F., and U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,142 to Huelskamp et al. (1975) discloses a protein snack food dehydrated at temperatures ranging from 600xc2x0 F. to 700xc2x0 F.)
(g) to provide a good tasting raw sprouted seed product with severely limited souring. The souring which would have occurred is virtually suppressed by the use of sufficient water activity depressant. (both species)
(h) to provide methods of preparing raw sprouted seed products in which mold and fungal growths are entirely prevented. (both species)
(i) to provide methods of preparing raw sprouted seed products which succeed in preserving more than 90% of the diastatic activity of the sprouts from which they were made. (both species)
(j) to provide a raw sprouted food product which need not be frozen which would destroy its vitamin E content. (both species)
(k) to provide a product, which, even when thoroughly dry, will not cut up the inside of one""s mouth with sharp edges as is the case with sprouted grain products which lack sufficient amounts of nongluten-containing seeds to moderate hardness. Since these products are tasty and easily chewed, they will appeal even to those who do not normally consume health foods. (both species)
(l) to provide a high fiber dietary staple with a greatly improved amino acid profile over similar unsprouted products. (both species)
(m) to provide a healthful product with not only a pleasant satisfying taste but also an attractive appearance as well. (both species)
(n) to provide a dietary staple and snack food with the taste of Essene raw sprouted bread, the enzymes and other nutrients of the raw sprouted seeds, and long shelf life. (Liquefied Sprouts Based NP CLASS Crackers)
(o) to provide convenient raw snack foods made from sprouted seeds suitable for those who have embarked on a raw food diet. Those who go on a raw food diet sometimes have difficulty obtaining adequate amounts of high quality proteinxe2x80x94these products go a long way toward meeting that need.
(p) to provide a shelf-stable nutritious food which could be used to alleviate world hunger. Many health experts now agree that most baked breads can no longer be considered the staff of life. The tasty and nutritious products of this invention go a long way to restoring life (i.e., enzymes) to the staff of life. (both species)
RUSTIC Sprouted Seed Products are prepared without cooking or preservatives from seeds utilizing sprouting techniques and low temperature water activity reduction methods to prevent bacterial souring and fungal growths thus minimizing damage to vital nutrients (especially enzymes) and thus producing tasty shelf-stable food products with many health benefits. The seeds are converted to a form suitable for human consumption by various methods which are very briefly summarized below:
sprouting, compressing, refrigerating, and dehydrating the seeds.
sprouting, dehydrating, compressing, and further dehydrating the seeds.
soaking seeds for several days, compressing them in the RUSTIC Press, and then dehydrating them.
soaking seeds for several days, freezing the seeds, and then dehydrating the seeds.
As mentioned in xc2xa74.2, xe2x80x9cSummary of NP CLASS Crackers, Objects and Advantagesxe2x80x9d, by xe2x80x9cmeans for breaking seed coatsxe2x80x9d is meant any process and its associated equipment which can be used to break the seed coats of seeds so that human beings can masticate the seeds without difficulty. Thus, the methods for making RUSTIC Sprouted Seed Products specify two means for breaking the seed coats of the sprouted seeds: Compressing, and Freezing.
Whichever of these means is used for breaking seed coats, every seed will have some of its seed coats broken.
The various species of RUSTIC Sprouted Seed Products share the following characteristics:
Raw: The seed sprouts in these food products are raw, not having been subjected to such temperatures and durations of time which would destroy the enzymes therein.
Unsoured: The drop in pH value of these food products during product preparation due to lactic acid bacterial souring is less than 0.1. Hence, these products have a pleasant taste.
Shelf-stable: The water activity of these food products is less than 0.60. Products with a water activity below 0.60 will not support the growth of any known micro-organism. Hence, these food products are shelf-stable.
Testae Intact: The compressed seed sprouts in these food products have substantially unfractured testae (seed coats) and are of substantially uniform thickness and consistency throughout. The methods outlined below ensure that although the compressed seeds in these food products have had their testae (seed coats) sufficiently fractured to facilitate easy mastication, the testae are still sufficiently intact to substantially shield the delicate nutrients within the seeds from the destructive effects of oxidation. These methods aim to ensure that the amount of fracturing of the seed coats is no more than the minimum required to ensure comfortable mastication of the seeds of the food product. Thus the compressed seed sprouts in these food products have minimally fractured testae (seed coats) and are of substantially uniform thickness and consistency throughout. Consequently the vital nutrients therein are afforded a protection not available in conventionally produced products. (It should be mentioned, however, that the more the seed sprouts are compressed, the greater the degree of fracturing of the testae. The methods of this invention ensure that for any degree of compression of the sprouted seed, fracturing of the testae and formation of sprout flour as a result of this compression are minimized.) It should be noted, however, that seeds which do not have their seed coats broken to some extent are not contemplated by this invention. Hence, both the methods of NP CLASS Crackers and RUSTIC Sprouted Seed Products contemplate the processing of broken cell wall sprouts.
Converted: Since the seed sprouts in these products are converted to a form which crumbles under moderate pressure, these products are very easily masticated.
Sprouted: This patent application teaches three methods of sprouting the seed, one of which is known and the other two of which are new.
In the known method, hereinafter called the xe2x80x9cTraditional Sprouting Methodxe2x80x9d, the seed is soaked for 10 hours and then sprouted for 18 hours with rinsings every 6 hours. This yields sprouts with a better than 50-fold increase in diastatic activity but also with an unusual sweet taste that some people dislike. This sweet taste is due to the starches of the seeds having been converted to sugars during the sprouting process.
The first new method, hereinafter called the xe2x80x9cQuick Sprouting Methodxe2x80x9d, is preferably only used in conjunction with the xe2x80x9cThe Dehydration and Compression Methodxe2x80x9d given below. In the Quick Sprouting Method, the seed is soaked for ten hours. Then during the first three hours of the dehydration step of xe2x80x9cThe Dehydration and Compression Methodxe2x80x9d, the seed sprouts to a slight extent. After about the third hour of dehydration, growth stops altogether (due to lack of sufficient moisture for growth to continue). The diastatic activity is considerably lower with this Quick Sprouting Method than with the Traditional Sprouting Method, but the seed has not developed the unusual sweet taste and actually tastes quite good. Not having been sprouted for 18 hours, considerable time and expense is saved: the sprouts do not have to be rinsed and drained every 6 hours. Seed sprouted by the xe2x80x9cQuick Sprouting Methodxe2x80x9d and then dried and compressed looks and tastes very much like conventionally manufactured grain flakes.
The second new method, hereinafter called the xe2x80x9cLong Soak Sprouting Methodxe2x80x9d, is preferably only used in conjunction with xe2x80x9cThe Ultrathin Compression and Dehydration Methodxe2x80x9d given below. In the Long Soak Sprouting Method, the seed (preferably wheat) is soaked for at least two days with the soak water being replaced with fresh water every 12 hours. After several days of soaking, the seed is very soft and compresses with considerably less pressure than it does after only 10 to 12 hours of soaking. Furthermore it is then very easy to compress the seed until it is very thin. The applicant has discovered that soaking seed for several days or longer apparently causes a modification of the interior characteristics of the seed such that when it is subsequently compressed and dehydrated, the result is a much more tender food product which is easily masticated. But due to the much weaker structure of the seed after prolonged soaking, it can no longer be compressed by a roller mill. The soaked seed tends to quickly gum up the rolls of the roller mill making further rolling very difficult. Therefore the applicant invented the RUSTIC Press to compress such waterlogged seed. Essentially the RUSTIC Press consists of a narrow plate and a wide plate connected by a hinge. The narrow plate is connected by adjustable bolts to a lower base plate onto which is placed the grain to be compressed. The end of the upper wide plate furthest from the hinge is connected to a handle which is used to force the hinged wider upper plate onto the lower base plate thus compressing the seed on it. Being essentially flat and smooth, any gumming up produced by compression of the waterlogged seed is quickly cleaned from the plates before processing the next batch of seed.
The four preferred species of RUSTIC Sprouted Seed Products are as follows:
1. Unflavored raw compressed seed sprouts: These are very thin and almost flake-like in appearance. At one end of each dried compressed sprout grown by either the Traditional or the Quick Sprouting Method can be seen a small shoot emerging. In addition, at the other end of each sprout grown by the Traditional Sprouting Method can be seen tiny rootlets. This product makes a very crisp and crunchy breakfast cereal. Sprouts produced in the Long Soak Sprouting Method have no roots and very tiny shoots.
2. Flavored raw compressed seed sprouts: These are the same as the unflavored species with a natural flavoring for extra taste. The following flavoring agents can be used: fruit syrups, honey, molasses, maple syrup, and grain syrups. (The flavorings are, of necessity, diluted with water to keep the discrete compressed seeds from sticking to each other.)
3. Raw compressed seed sprout cakes: The dried compressed sprouts in this product are held together by an agglutinant. The agglutinant in the syrup-sweetened variety is honey, molasses, or any sticky fruit, grain, or tree syrup. The agglutinant in the plain variety is gluten or any glutinous grain.
4. Sprouted Wheat, xe2x80x9cPuffed Wheatxe2x80x9d Style. Applicant has recently discovered that when wheat is soaked for several days with periodic rinsings every 12 hours and then frozen, there is a modification or a breaking down of the internal structure of the wheat which, Applicant believes, results in a more porous, more fragile structure. As a result, when this frozen wheat is subsequently dehydrated, the result is a very tender and easily masticated product, not too dissimilar in taste, crunchiness, and consistency to puffed wheat. So tender is the resultant product, that it hardly even needs to be compressed.
The low temperature water activity reduction methods utilized to prevent bacterial souring and fungal growth are as follows:
1. The Compression and Refrigeration Method. This method can be used to produce dried compressed sprouts. In this method, sprouts are compressed with a roller mill and dried in a frost-free refrigerator until their water activity has fallen below 0.70. A dehydrator is then used to further reduce the water activity of the sprouts below 0.60 which is a level of water activity below the minimum moisture requirement of any known micro-organism. If it is then desired to make flavored compressed sprouts or compressed sprout cake, the dried compressed sprouts are treated with flavoring or an agglutinant respectively, dried in a frost-free refrigerator until their water activity has again fallen below 0.70, and then further dried with a dehydrator until their water activity has fallen below 0.60. Products with a water activity below 0.60 will not support the growth of any known micro-organism.
2. The Dehydration and Compression Method. This is a second method for producing dried compressed sprouts. In this method, the sprouts are dehydrated until their water activity has fallen below 0.91, compressed with a roller mill, and then further dehydrated until their water activity has fallen below 0.60, which, again, is below the minimum moisture requirement of any known micro-organism.
3. The Ultrathin Compression and Dehydration Method. This third method for producing dried compressed sprouts yields very thin sprouts which, consequently, dry very quickly. In this method, wet soft sprouts are compressed between two suitably sized hard flat surfaces, held in a compressed state for sufficient time for the sprouts to retain their flattened form, and then dehydrated until their water activity has fallen below 0.60. Since the compressed sprouts produced by this method are very thin and dry quickly, their water activity drops so quickly below 0.60 that bacterial souring is minimal. Any press such as the RUSTIC Press disclosed herein which has the proper characteristics to compress wet soft sprouts very thin will be referred to as a Wet Grain Press.
RUSTIC Sprouted Seed Products are uncooked; i.e. they have not been subjected to such temperatures and times which would denature the proteins thereof. Further, these products are nonpasteurized.
What I mean when I say that my products are nonpasteurized, is that they were not subjected to such temperatures and durations of time which would destroy most of the bacterial and fungal activity which ordinarily takes place in seed sprouts when they are compressed. Such temperatures and durations of time also destroy most of the enzyme activity as well. Further, the highest temperature these products are subjected to is 104xc2x0 F. (40xc2x0 C.), a temperature well below that required to destroy any of the known nutrients in seed sprouts. By xe2x80x9ccompressionxe2x80x9d, I mean any process which will reduce the thickness of seed sprouts sufficiently so that human beings can masticate them without difficulty. The amount of compression required depends on the hardness, moisture content, and size of the seed sprouts and is different for each variety of seed. As used herein, compression is the flattening of sprouts by such means as a roller mill or a Wet Grain Press. Unless such sprouts as wheat, rice, triticale, and barley are further processed by compression or milling, they are very difficult for human beings to chew.
In order to properly describe a key notion of this invention, names must first be given to the various phases of the sprouting process. First of all, the seeds are soaked in water. This will be called the xe2x80x9csoaking phasexe2x80x9d of sprouting. After the seeds have been soaked, there are various possibilities for further processing. The soaked seeds may be immediately compressed and refrigerated or dehydrated. In this event, the xe2x80x9csoaking phasexe2x80x9d of sprouting is the only phase of sprouting that the seeds complete. Another possibility is that the seeds may be dehydrated for a few hours and then compressed. During those few hours of dehydration, the seeds still possess sufficient moisture to continue sprouting, but their rate of growth slows as their moisture runs out. These several hours of sprouting before the seeds run out of moisture or are compressed will be called the xe2x80x9cinitial airing phasexe2x80x9d of sprouting. The third possibility is that the seeds may be exposed to the air, rinsed from time to time, and be allowed to grow until they have reached the desired maturity. The period of time from their first rinsing until the desired maturity is reached will be called the xe2x80x9crinsings phasexe2x80x9d of sprouting. Performing the activities of the xe2x80x9crinsings phasexe2x80x9d on sprouts shall be referred to as xe2x80x9crinsing and airing the hydrated seed to maturityxe2x80x9d. What I mean, therefore, when I refer to xe2x80x9crinsing and airing the hydrated seed to maturityxe2x80x9d is that after the seeds have gone through the soaking phase and the initial airing phase, the seeds are now rinsed in water periodically until they has reached the desired maturity. After each rinsing, the hydrated seeds are allowed to drain, and again exposed to the air until the next rinsing.
The important thing about the seeds in the products of this invention is that they have had their enzyme content augmented by having been soaked in water. (This soaking in water actually begins the sprouting process. It must be said that the mere act of soaking the seed is the actual beginning of the sprouting process. The seed is no longer dormant. Before being soaked in water, the seed merely had a xe2x80x9clife potentialxe2x80x9d; during the soaking phase of sprouting, it actually comes to life as is evidenced by the dramatic increase in enzymatic activity and the corresponding decrease in harmful enzyme inhibitors.) The seed may then be drained and then rinsed every few hours or so to further increase its enzyme content. Or it may enter into further processing without experiencing the rinsings phase at all. In that event the increase in enzymatic content is small. If the next processing step for the seed were compression followed by dehydration or refrigeration, the resultant increase in enzymatic activity over the unsprouted state would be less than 25 percent. If the next processing step for the seed were dehydration at a temperature of 104xc2x0 F., for example, during the first three hours of dehydration the seed would still have sufficient moisture to continue sprouting (thus experiencing the initial airing phase) and the resultant increase in enzymatic activity over the unsprouted state would be about 50 percent.
Now the seed, whether it is used immediately after the soaking phase or is subjected to the initial airing phase, is either compressed right away followed by dehydration or refrigeration to lower its water activity, or is dehydrated somewhat and then compressed. In any event, the seed is compressed and then dried using either a dehydrator or the dehydrating effects of a refrigerator. At the point where the seed enters into further processing with or without experiencing the rinsings phase, it will be referred to as xe2x80x9chydrated seedxe2x80x9d, i.e., it has imbibed water. If it is then allowed to enter the rinsings phase, it will continue to imbibe water (the key notion here) and will, therefore, still be referred to as xe2x80x9chydrated seedxe2x80x9d. After being compressed, whether or not it is dried somewhat first, it will be referred to as xe2x80x9ccompressed hydrated seedxe2x80x9d. Then after its water activity has been lowered to the final contemplated level, it will be referred to as xe2x80x9cdried compressed hydrated seedxe2x80x9d. The key idea is not whether it has entered any of the other sprouting phases after having been initially soaked; the key idea is that these seeds have imbibed water and are now suitable candidates for the further processing steps of the methods of this invention.
By xe2x80x9ccompressed hydrated seedxe2x80x9d, therefore, I mean seed which has at least undergone the soaking phase, and then, with or without entering the initial airing or rinsings phases, is compressed, this compression taking place either before or after its water activity has been reduced. The Quick, Long Soak, and Traditional Sprouting Methods yield hydrated seeds which are good candidates for compression. The terms xe2x80x9ccompressed sproutsxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9ccompressed dried sproutsxe2x80x9d are to be understood as meaning xe2x80x9ccompressed hydrated seedsxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cdried compressed hydrated seedsxe2x80x9d respectively wherever they appear in this specification.
Seeds which complete any of the three phases of sprouting have the necessary characteristics for the practice of this invention:
1. Being soft and pliable, they are easily compressed, with a minimum of fracturing and formation of sprout flour.
2. There has been an increase in enzymes with a corresponding decrease in enzyme inhibitors.
3. After drying, if unhulled, they can be hulled thus making them xe2x80x9cediblexe2x80x9d.
Unless such seeds as millet which have very thin hulls are used, either hulled seeds must be selected for the sprouting process, or the hulls must be removed subsequent to sprouting. A special class of candidate dried compressed hydrated seeds must be defined for the purposes of this invention. This class shall be called the xe2x80x9cedible compressed hydrated seedsxe2x80x9d. This class includes all nonpoisonous seeds which have experienced at least the soaking phase of sprouting, and further have very thin hulls (such as millet) or were hulled prior to being soaked in water (if they are the kind of seed which will still sprout once the hull has been removed), or were hulled after being compressed and dried. The presence of thick hulls in the final products would render them unacceptable by human standards. Examples of edible compressed hydrated seeds are unhulled compressed hydrated millet, hulled compressed hydrated millet, compressed hydrated hulled grain, and hulled compressed hydrated buckwheat.
To obtain a variable which measures the degree of difficulty in chewing sprouted seed which had been compressed to various thicknesses, Applicant obtained a pasta machine with adjustable rolls (The Deluxe Atlas Pasta Queen, Himark Enterprises, Hauppauge, N.Y.). He then produced compressed sprouted wheat of various thicknesses. Applicant found that it is very difficult to chew compressed sprouted wheat seeds which are thicker than 2.4 mm. (Uncompressed sprouted wheat averages 3 mm in thickness.) An X-ACTO(copyright) No. 1 Knife with a new No. 11 Fine Point Blade (Hunt XACTO, Speedball Road, Statesville, N.C. 28677) was used to slice a 2.4 mm thick dried compressed wheat sprout, and the force needed to slice it was measured. (This measurement was performed as follows: a 2.4 mm thick dried compressed wheat sprout was placed on a scale, and the scale was initialized to read zero. Holding the X-ACTO Knife perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the wheat sprout, the blade of the knife was placed near the middle of the wheat sprout and pressed down until the wheat sprout was sliced in half. The maximum scale reading at the time the wheat sprout was sliced in half was recorded.) It took 3 pounds 8.2 ounces of force to slice a 2.4 mm thick compressed wheat sprout. Applicant has called this 3 pounds 8.2 ounces of force the Comfortable Mastication Force (CMF). Since different kinds of seed sprouts vary in hardness, the degree to which any given seed sprout must be compressed, such that CMF pounds of force on an X-ACTO Knife with the Fine Point Blade will slice the sprout in half, will vary. The maximum thickness that a given kind of dried seed sprout can have after compression such that CMF pounds of force applied on the X-ACTO Knife with the Fine Point Blade will slice any one of them in half shall be called that kind of sprout""s Maximum Mastication Thickness (MMT). This MMT will vary inversely with the hardness of the type of seed sprouted. Mastication Difficulty (MD) can be computed from CMF as follows: MD=(force needed to slice a compressed sprout/CMF). One will have difficulty masticating seeds with an MD much greater than 1.
What I mean, therefore, when I say that the MD of the dried compressed seed sprouts of this invention is less than 1, is that not only have these sprouts been sufficiently compressed to break their seed coats but also that these sprouts have been compressed to less than their MMT and are now sufficiently thin that the quantity [(Maximum force required to split any one of them with an X-ACTO Knife with the Fine Point Blade)/CMF] is less than 1. In other words, these sprouts are sufficiently thin that any one of them can be split in half with an X-ACTO Knife with the Fine Point Blade using a force of less than the sprout""s MMT. Applicant has found that the rolls of the Rolled Oats Crusher are sufficiently close to one another to yield compressed wheat sprouts with a thickness of less than MMT, and thus with an MD of less than 1. If other types of roller mills and sprouted seeds are used to practice this invention""s methods, the distance between the rolls of the mill must be sufficiently reduced to ensure that the sprouts have their seed coats broken and that the MD of the dried compressed sprouts is less than 1. Otherwise the output of the mill will be difficult to chew. (For reference purposes, the average force which must be applied to an X-ACTO Knife with the Fine Point Blade to slice in half a hulled unsprouted wheat seed is 3 pounds 11 ounces (MD≈1.05). The average force required to slice an unsprouted barley seed is 5 pounds 13.6 ounces (MD≈1.7). This is the reason why sprouted barley seed is considerably more difficult to masticate than sprouted wheat seed.)
Applicant has discovered that when wheat seeds have been soaked in water for 5xc2xd days (with a change of soak water every 12 hours), frozen, and then dehydrated, the average force which must be applied to an X-ACTO Knife with the Fine Point Blade to slice in half one of these dehydrated seeds is 2 pounds 12.7 ounces. Hence MD≈0.80. Applicant ate these wheat seeds and found that they had approximately the taste, consistency, and mouth-feel of puffed wheat. Applicant has defined the term xe2x80x9cChewing Comfort Soak Timexe2x80x9d to mean the length of time that wheat seeds must be soaked in water such that when they are subsequently frozen and dehydrated, their average MD will be less than 1.0. Applicant has further defined the term xe2x80x9cOptimal Chewing Comfort Soak Timexe2x80x9d to mean the length of time that wheat seeds must be soaked in water such that when they are subsequently frozen and dehydrated, their average MD will be less than 0.8.
Applicant also dehydrated some of the above wheat seeds which had been soaked for 5xc2xd days. But this time he did not freeze them before dehydrating them. In this case, the average force which had to be applied to an X-ACTO Knife with the Fine Point Blade to slice in half one of these dehydrated seeds was 3 pounds 2 ounces. Hence MD≈0.89. Applicant ate these wheat seeds and found that although they were somewhat more difficult to chew than the wheat seeds which had been frozen before dehydrating them, these again had approximately the taste, consistency, and mouth-feel of puffed wheat.
By xe2x80x9cwater activity reductionxe2x80x9d, I mean any process and its associated equipment which can be used to reduce the amount of water in a product which is available for the growth of microorganisms. Examples of such processes are: increasing the concentration of dissolved substances in the Pre-Product (the term Pre-Product is defined below), incorporating hydrophilic colloids in the product, vacuum chamber drying, centrifuge techniques, and drying in a wind tunnel. Each group of micro-organisms has a different minimum water requirement to support growth. The purpose of water activity reduction methods is to reduce the amount of water in a product available to micro-organisms below the lowest of these minimum requirements. If micro-organisms are sufficiently deprived of water, they will no longer grow.
By xe2x80x9csyrup sweetenedxe2x80x9d is meant that the product is sweetened and held together by honey, molasses, or any sticky fruit, grain, or tree syrup.
By xe2x80x9cflavoredxe2x80x9d is meant that the product is flavored with a syrup (or other seasoning) which has been diluted with water to such an extent that the discrete compressed seeds of the product do not significantly adhere to one another.
By xe2x80x9cmillingxe2x80x9d is meant grinding to a fine flour.
By xe2x80x9climiting souringxe2x80x9d is meant utilizing the souring limitation methods of this invention to limit the pH drop, xcex4pHla, of each of the products of this invention to less than 0.1. The pH drop, xcex4pHla, is defined as the drop in the pH value of a product which occurs when lactic acid bacteria convert the sugars of that product to lactic acid during the preparation of that product. (xe2x80x9claxe2x80x9d stands for lactic acid.) xcex4pHla can be determined as follows:
1. The Pre-Product is defined as the input to the process which produces the final product. The following table defines the Pre-Product for each of the preferred species of this invention.
2a. Where the Pre-Product is soaked wheat or seed sprouts alone, a slurry is prepared from 1 part by weight uncompressed dried sprouts and 2 parts by weight neutral pH water (water with a pH of 7). The pH of this slurry is measured and called pHo.
2b. Where the Pre-Product is seed sprouts plus flavoring or syrup, a slurry is prepared from 1 part by weight uncompressed dried sprouts, 2 parts by weight neutral pH water, and a proportionate amount of the flavoring or syrup. (The exact amount of flavoring or syrup to be added is given at the pertinent step of xe2x80x9cThe Methodxe2x80x9d in the Description of Preferred Method to Manufacture Invention section of this patent application.) The pH of this slurry is measured and called pHo.
3. Dehydrate the final product to a water activity of 0.60.
4. Take 1 part by weight the final product, mill it to flour, and stir it into 2 parts by weight neutral pH water to form a 2:1 slurry.
5. Measure the pH of this 2:1 slurry. Call it pHf.
6. Then xcex4pHla=pHoxe2x88x92pHf, and is therefore a positive number which reflects the drop in pH value of the product due to lactic acid formation in the product during product preparation. (The detailed method steps by which xcex4pHla is to be computed for each product are given at step 75.)
As used throughout this Specification, the term xe2x80x9c2:1 slurryxe2x80x9d refers to a slurry consisting of two parts neutral pH water and 1 part the milled product.
Although the dried compressed seed sprouts in RUSTIC Sprouted Seed Products are raw, they do not taste sour, having experienced a drop in pH value due to lactic acid formation during product preparation of less than 0.1. The sour taste which is found in raw sprouted seed products which have not been processed using special methods to prevent souring, is due to the action of lactic acid bacteria on the moist exposed interior portion of the sprouted seed before dehydration was complete. The initial pH of the Pre-Product from which such products are made can be determined as explained above. Such products typically experience a drop in pH from about 6.0 to about 4.5 during product preparation. Hence, for such products, xcex4pHla is in excess of 1.4.
Because lactic acid bacteria convert sugars to lactic acid rapidly and in considerable amounts, they usually eliminate for the time being much of the competition from other micro-organisms.
As the lactic acid bacteria ferment sugars to lactic acid (one of the organic acids), the acid build up in the product lowers the pH of the product thus resulting in the sour taste.
Soured sprouted seed products with a pH of 4.5 taste much more sour than honey which has a pH of about 4.0, apple concentrate with a pH of 3.9, and even more sour than grape concentrate with a pH of 2.4. The lactic acid molecule stimulates those taste receptors in our taste buds which are sensitive to sour and bitter much more vigorously than do the molecules in honey, apple concentrate, and grape concentrate.
Therefore, by measuring the pH of my products at various stages of the production process, it can be demonstrated.that bacterial souring is not occurring. As will be shown, the products of this invention experience a pH drop of less than 0.1 during the course of preparation.
These new food products, therefore, are the only ones, to my knowledge, truly using the second (nonpasteurized) method of making shelf-stable ready-to-eat sprouted grain breakfast cereals which was previously described in the xe2x80x9cDescription of Prior Artxe2x80x9d section of this patent application: Bacterial souring and fungal growth are prevented by reducing the water activity of the sprouts below the point at which any bacterial or fungal activity can occur.
In this patent application, I will refer to RUSTIC Sprouted Seed Products as comprising xe2x80x9ccompressed sproutsxe2x80x9d. (I wish to reserve the term xe2x80x9cflakesxe2x80x9d for breakfast cereals prepared with a cooker extruder or similar equipment and flaked with flaking rollers.)
As will be seen, the essence of RUSTIC Sprouted Seed Products is that low temperature water activity reduction methods (which spare enzymes) rather than cooking (which destroys enzymes) or the use of preservatives (which also spares enzymes but which many find objectionable) are used to inhibit bacterial souring. Lactic acid bacteria are normally present on the surface of seed. When the seed is compressed, portions of the seed coat (testa) are broken, and the lactic acid bacteria enter. If there is sufficient warmth and moisture, these bacteria grow and begin fermenting the sugars of the seed to lactic acid thus ruining the taste. The low temperature water activity reduction methods of this invention prevent this bacterial souring. When the compressed sprouts are further treated with flavoring or agglutinant prior to making flavored compressed sprouts or compressed sprout cakes respectively, the high water content of the flavoring or agglutinant will again provide the moisture necessary for bacterial souring and fungal growth to occur unless low temperature water activity reduction methods are again used to prevent this. (In this context, an agglutinant is an edible substance which will cause the discrete compressed sprouted seeds of my products to adhere to one another.
As was indicated by the table on page 10 of the 4th Edition of Food Microbiology, no microbiological activity takes place if the water activity of a food product falls below 0.60.
Therefore my methods use dehydration and refrigeration to inhibit microbial activity until the water activity of the product is reduced below 0.60.
Further, the sprouts are compressed or frozen rather than being blended or milled in order that the bulk of the nutrients within the sprouts may be protected from rather than exposed to the ravages of oxidation.
RUSTIC Sprouted Seed Products has four species which I list here in order that one can more easily follow the several objects and advantages of my invention:
1. unflavored raw compressed sprouts
2. flavored raw compressed sprouts
3. raw compressed sprout cakes
a. syrup sweetened variety
b. plain variety
4. Sprouted Wheat, xe2x80x9cPuffed Wheatxe2x80x9d style
At this point, one might wonder whether RUSTIC Sprouted Seed Products are xe2x80x9cliving foodsxe2x80x9d. There are two key tests for determining whether a sprouted seed product still possesses its xe2x80x9cvitalityxe2x80x9d. The first test is the test for enzyme activity. The dominant enzyme in sprouted seed is amylase, the enzyme which converts starches to sugars. The results of amylase enzyme analysis can be expressed as so many starch liquefying units (FM) per gram. (An enzyme with 1,000 starch liquefying units per gram reduces the viscosity of 300 times its weight of potato starch by 90% in 10 minutes at 70xc2x0 C. and pH 6.7.) From this measurement, the activity of the amylase enzyme in a product can be determined. A food retaining most of its amylase activity also retains most of its other enzyme activity as well. A food can be said to be mostly xe2x80x9clivingxe2x80x9d if it still possesses more than half of its enzyme activity. Thus, the products of my invention can be considered living foods because they retain in the final product substantially more than half (and, in fact, more than 90 percent) of the amylase enzyme activity of the unprocessed sprouts from which they were made. Samples of the breakfast cereal made by the methods of this application were submitted to a food testing laboratory for enzymatic analysis. The results of this analysis are shown in xc2xa75.8, xe2x80x9cResults of Enzymatic Analysis of the Products of This Inventionxe2x80x9d
A second test of whether the products of my invention still possess their xe2x80x9cvitalityxe2x80x9d is the sprouting test. If unsprouted seeds of the type of seed used in my products can be subjected to the same temperatures for the same durations of time as the products of my invention and will still sprout, it can be said that the temperatures and times of the methodology I am teaching have done nothing to harm the xe2x80x9cvitalityxe2x80x9d of the sprouts in my products. A method for verifying that 104xc2x0 F. (40xc2x0 C.) is a xe2x80x9csafexe2x80x9d temperature for the vitality of the products of my invention whereas 125xc2x0 F. (52xc2x0 C.) is a xe2x80x9cdestructivexe2x80x9d temperature for this vitality is taught in the xc2xa75.7.2, xe2x80x9cVerification of Product Vitality for RUSTIC Sprouted Grain Productsxe2x80x9d. An actual example is also shown.
Accordingly, the objects and advantages of the present invention are:
(a) to provide a healthful breakfast cereal and a granola-like bar made therefrom which contain raw sprouted seeds. Sprouting seeds for 18 hours increases their amylase enzymatic activity 50 fold with a corresponding decrease in enzyme inhibitors. (When the Quick Sprouting Method is used, the seeds sprout for only about 3 hours which leads to only a 50 percent increase in amylase enzymatic activity, with a corresponding 50 percent decrease in enzyme inhibitors. When the Long Soak Sprouting Method is used, the seeds have only been exposed for a total of about fifteen minutes to the airxe2x80x94during the twelve hour rinsingsxe2x80x94and have just barely started sprouting having only very tiny shoots.) During the sprouting process, the starches of the seeds are converted to sugars. And since microbial activity is suppressed during product preparation, these products retain their naturally sweet taste.
(b) to provide healthful raw sprouted seed breakfast cereals and products based thereon which have not been exposed to such temperatures and durations of time which would destroy the enzymes and other vital nutrients thereof. (all species)
(c) to provide healthful raw sprouted seed breakfast cereals and products based thereon which are not prepared with preservatives which many health knowledgeable people are attempting to avoid. (all species)
(d) to provide healthful raw alternatives to baked goods and commercially available snack foods prepared without preservatives or nutrient-destroying heat or cold, thus retaining the vital nutrients (enzymes, proteins, vitamins, minerals, etc.) of the sprouts from which they were made in as natural a state as possible. (species 3)
(e) to provide raw sprouted seed products which have as little as possible of the interior portion of the seed exposed to the ravages of oxidation during processing, thus better retaining those vital nutrients which are especially vulnerable to oxidation. (Flour based and cooker extruder produced sprouted seed products have had the entire inner portion of the seed exposed to the air during processing.) (all species)
(f) to provide raw sprouted seed products in which the compressed sprouted seeds of the product have been compressed to less than their MMT, and, therefore, have an MD of less than 1. Consequently, the product is very easily masticated. One should not have to worry about chipping a tooth while eating. (species 1-3)
(g) to provide unsoured raw sprouted seed products which are shelf-stable. Since these products are unsoured, they have a pleasant taste, which will encourage even the most taste-conscious consumers to use these products. And since the water activity of these food products is less than 0.60, they are not susceptible to microbial activity as long as they are kept dry. (all species)
(h) to provide raw sprouted seed products in which the sprouting process has been severely truncated in order to provide a lower priced product with an even more acceptable taste for the mass market.
(i) To provide raw sprouted seed products in which fracturing of the seed coats of the compressed seed sprouts has been minimized. Therefore these products are substantially free from sprout flour which would render the products unmarketable. (all species)
(j) To provide ultra-thin sprouted seed flakes which have the consistency, tenderness, and mouth-feel of commercially available grain-flakes. Being very thin and tender, these sprouted seed flakes do not need to be soaked in liquid prior to consumption by the consumer.
(k) To provide a dried sprouted seed food with the consistency and organoleptic properties of puffed wheat. Being very tender, this product does not need to be compressed before consumption by humans. (species 4)
(l) to provide a device for compressing wet sprouts with the following advantages over a roller mill:
(1) much easier to use in continuous operation, for much easier to keep from clogging up with crushed sprouts.
(2) more easily cleaned at end of compressing operation.
(3) can be used to exert a pressure for a given period of time.
(4) much cheaper to manufacture and service.
(5) much easier to vary the amount by which the sprouts are compressed.
Having read this far, the reader might think that the idea of using low temperature water activity reduction methods to produce a breakfast cereal is such a simple one that surely it must have been done before. One might therefore think that preparing a breakfast cereal by these methods is obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art. This is not true. A careful review of the literature in the art of sprouting shows that other than making sprout bread, sprout flour and such products as barley malt, those who are skilled in this art ordinarily do not dehydrate the sprouts they grow, preferring to eat and market fresh sprouts. And, none of the books or articles with which I am familiar in the field of nutrition teaches a method for making raw breakfast cereals using a roller mill. It certainly was not obvious to me how best to use a roller mill to make compressed sprouts. In my first few attempts to make compressed sprouts, I tried feeding freshly grown 24 hour sprouts into the hopper of a roller mill, and turning the crank. My progress in rolling the wet sprouts was somewhat slow, and the moist compressed sprouts gummed up the rollers of the roller mill, making cleanup difficult. It should be noted, however, that the advertisement for this Rolled Oats Crusher roller mill in the Walnut Acres catalog does not even hint that this roller mill might be suitable for preparing a raw breakfast cereal. The advertisement reads in part as follows: xe2x80x9cMake your own hot cereal from freshly rolled grains . . . Our Rolled Oats Crusher flakes oats, rye, wheat, barley and other xe2x80x98softxe2x80x99 grains, ready to cook up into a cereal or for your recipes . . . xe2x80x9d
Thus, while it was known that flaked or rolled grains make an excellent hot cereal, what was not known, and what I believe I am the first to discover is that when low temperature water activity reduction methods are used to produce compressed sprouted grain products, the compressed dried sprouts therein are very easy to chew and consequently make very delicious as well as nutritious raw breakfast cereals and other products based thereon. Then also, since most people do not appreciate the fact that cooking destroys vital enzymes, they would not have had an incentive to look for ways to prepare raw as opposed to cooked breakfast cereals. The vast majority of the human race have always consumed their grains cooked, and most people believe that grains require cooking to make them edible. Further, those with experience in the art of using a roller mill to crimp (roll) grain customarily do so to prepare grain for consumption by livestock and ordinarily have neither experience in the art of sprouting nor in the art of making breakfast cereals. Finally those with experience in the art of making sprouted-grain breakfast cereals are usually only familiar with the cooker extruders and flaking rollers made for that purpose.
Furthermore, the exceedingly thin flakes which result from soaking seed for two or more days, compressing this seed in a Wet Grain Press, and dehydrating this seed, rival anything found in the supermarket for crisp and tender crunchiness. None of the prior art methods even vaguely resemble this new method for producing ultrathin flakes.
Finally, the delicate and tender sprouted seed product produced by soaking seed for several days, freezing it, and then dehydrating it, is so tender that it does not even need compression before consumption by humans.
Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description, drawings, and claims.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and are thus not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the RUSTIC Press in a partially opened state.
FIG. 2 is a top view of the RUSTIC Press.
FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the RUSTIC Press.
FIG. 4 is a front view of the RUSTIC Press without the two lower support pipes and without the two upper pipes which support the platform.
FIG. 5 is a side view of the RUSTIC Press in a partially opened state.